Crimson Eyed Anger
by SilverExorcist405
Summary: Yugi's life drips with fear. The scars spider webbing his body prove it. But when he finds a man bleeding to death in his sorry excuse for a home, he helps him as fast as he can. But several worries stab into his thoughts: Can he trust him? What exactly is he anyway? His mind is filled with questions, but actions speak louder than words, the saying goes. YYxY Please review!
1. Chapter 1

I know what all of you are thinking right now. It's probably something along the lines of: You've got to be kinding me, another Yugioh vampire fic? Yupe. This is more of a mix between all of the Yugioh vampire fics I've read thus far. Please review and tell me how awful/awesome I may or may not be. This just shouts cliche, but who doesn't love a well written cliche every once in a while? (I hope.)

Review!

Chapter 1

"This is the way the world ends

This is the way the world ends

This is the way the world ends

Not with a bang, but a whimper"

- 'The Hollow Men' by T.S. Elliot

The darkness curled through the forest like a noxious gas. The trees stood so closely together that an arrow could not have flown straight after several feet, but this combined with the shadows only made it even harder to gaze into the depths of the cryptic woods. A cold breeze from an early autumn rippled through the air, brushing aside browning leaves and rustling dead pine needles as it fought it's way through the straight trunks that like a haphazard colonnade supported the sky.

Despite the close proximity of the trees, a road cut through the forest like a sinister scar, steering forever deeper into the gloom of the night. This road, which was more of a path because of its thin, dusty surface riddled with jutting roots, wound like a snake up to the top of the high mountain this forest draped across. Nobody ever used this road often due to rumors (the ridiculous kind where those who went up it never came back down), but the pathway never became overgrown with more trees or weeds. It was as if that spindly swath of earth was cursed never to bear life, and to lead those who followed it to their doom.

Nobody ever went up that road. Nobody.

But there on the road in the middle of the dense woods stood a man.

He's stiff posture announced his pride and confidence ahead of him, but there was something about the way his hand twitched every couple seconds and his bowed head that revealed his concentration. Sweat dripped from his forehead, and his eyes were closed while his twitching hands lay limply by his sides. His spiky hair nearly faded into the night around him, if not for the striking lightening streaks of blond and crimson tips that seemed to glow faintly in the blackness.

His brow furrowed in complete focus as he strained his ears for any noise. All he heard was the whisper of the wind and the shuffling of leaves, but he still did not let down his guard.

Catching a flicker of breath to the right, the man turned his head ever so slowly, panting slightly from effort. A fluttering of movement signaled once more that he was not alone.

He automatically knew it to be a foe. He had no friends anyway (he trusted no one), and also he knew that someone had been on his trail for the past two days. Now that he had stumbled upon another Council, he was sure that his head was accompanied by a large reward.

He heard a twig crack, and his eyes snapped open. If anyone had been there to see them, they would have gasped. His brilliant eyes glimmered a deep crimson as dark as blood and as captivating as a ruby in dim lighting. They were beautiful, but distinctly sharp, intelligent, and deadly.

Taking in a deep breath, the man hesitated for a moment like he was about to jump off a cliff and into a bottomless abyss. It was in this split second, this instant, that the arrow pierced him.

It slammed through his shoulder. Pain erupted through him, his scarlet eyes growing wide in shock and agony. Then they narrowed, and he wasted no time in sprinting down the road.

He was a blur, a flitting of shadows, a rustling of leaves. He was proud to call himself one of the fastest of his kind.

Another arrow flew past him, scratching his cheek. Grunting softly in pain, he ran.

More arrows hissed by, but none struck their mark. Smirking slightly, he continued to flee, even as the arrows ceased to fire. Whoever was hunting him was still hot on his tail.

Normally, he loved running, but the arrow that stuck out of his left shoulder kept him from going full speed with the pain movement caused.

Soon-too soon it seemed- he broke through the tree line and was launched into the wavy sea of field grass. The moonlight gleamed from the star scattered heavens, but he did not mind. He rather liked the moon.

He could no longer sense his pursuer, but that made him no less wary. If anything, it made him more fearful.

Catching sight of an old, ramshackle house ahead, he made for it in hopes of resting underneath a roof for at least one night.

The house practically screamed loneliness. The blue shudders were so faded they now seemed more a sickly green, and the white paint on the walls peeled like damp bark on a rotting log. The small porch sported a deserted rocking chair that made him worry that if he breathed too hard on it, it would crumple into a pile of dust. One of the four windows that looked back out across the fields and towards the mountain was completely shattered, but only two other windows were actually boarded up with bent nails and decaying planks.

When he reached the door, he was mildly surprised it still clung to its hinges. Grabbing the rusted brass door handle, he opened the door. It creaked open, squawking and complaining with age. He was probably the first to open this door in a long time.

Closing the door behind him, the darkness of the house he was in flooded him comfortably. Clutching his wounded shoulder, he took a step forward. Smiling softly, he remembered the last time he had been wounded at the shoulder.

It had been when he was very young. His mother had accidentally run in to him in the kitchen, and he had fallen on the knife she had been carrying.

"It's okay Yami. Everything's fine. Here, I'll bandage it for you." she had said lovingly. Yami had nodded his head, understanding. Flesh wounds didn't hurt that much, not when you were a vampire, especially a born vampire.

Yami grunted and swatted away the memory. Normal flesh wounds didn't hurt this much, so he could only assume that the arrow was poisoned. He had to take it out, but just looking at the way it was positioned he could tell that he would only open the wound more if he attempted pulling it out himself.

Leaning against the wall, Yami slid down until he was sitting on the floor, panting hard. God, that arrow hurt like _hell. _Yami couldn't remember the last time he was in this much pain. In fact, had he _ever _been in this much pain? Probably not. He was normally too fast for anybody to hurt him.

So he lay there, exhausted and weak, feeling the life slowly being sapped out of him from the poison in the arrow. If he did not take this arrow out soon…he would…

Yami almost laughed. He was going to die. He should just pull the arrow out, forget about making a bigger hole than their already was. Weakly, he dragged his hand up and over his chest till it grasped the cursed shaft. He yanked on it experimentally and nearly shrieked in anguish. The pain…and he was so, so, _so _weak…

He blinked, crimson eyes large as an owl's. Only a moment ago he had been running free, and now he was here in this damn house. All because of the Council.

As his thoughts swung to the Council, a low growl rumbled in his throat. He hated the Council. The Council was a group of elderly vampires that made "important decisions." In reality, all they did was make Yami's life a living hell. They punished him for "walking in" on their meetings when they had invited them to their gatherings in the first place. They subjected him to taunting and general torture using their words. Whenever he had made the small steps towards a friendship with someone, they would immediately end it for him.

His mother and father-like all vampires do- abandoned him when he was fifteen. It was vampire custom. At least he knew who they were. He didn't have a problem with it, he only wished that he could have known them a bit better and that they'd stayed to defend him from the Council.

But the Council had taken the final step this time. They wanted him _dead. _Yami sighed.

He wasn't a very old vampire, only 332, even though he looked like he was 18. So why did the Council want him dead anyway? Did they just hate him that much?

Pain arched from his shoulder, and Yami tensed. That only it made worse, however, and another growl escaped from his throat.

It was than that he smelled the scent of blood. Human blood.

He was immediately on high alert. Humans hated vampires. They tried to kill them all the time. Vampire hunting was a profession in their world. If a human found him now, he would surely die a slow and agonizing death.

But he couldn't help it, he was slipping, slipping into darkness.

"Please…" he whispered before falling into unconsciousness.

...and that's it folks! Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

A very whole hearty thank you goes out to: Tyran masterof shadows, Sorrynoaccount (Guest), Chaos Twin of Destruction, and M-Preg Angel for the fast feed back! And no, it's not weird to love this story. ;) I've been working on this story for a while now, so I already have the first few chapters ready for you!

Chapter 2

"Art thou pale for weariness

Of climbing and gazing on earth

Wandering companionless"

- 'To the Moon ' by Percy B. Shelley

Yugi took in a deep breath at the sight before him, silently cursing himself for running away to a place so close to the forest and so close to the road.

There, sitting on the floor beneath a smear of blood, was a man.

The more Yugi stared at him, the more his breath hitched. The man looked almost identical to him. He had similar spiky hair like his, though he noted the extra blond bolts that shot up through his ebony hair and up to the red tips. Yugi's hair was similar-and natural, he might add- although he had blond bangs that framed his childish face. The two looked about the same age. Yugi was 18, though he looked more like he was thirteen.

The man was dressed all in black, making it hard to see the rest of his body. Judging from his closed eyes, Yugi figured he had fallen unconscious. He thought that he had heard him say something, whether he had said "Please" or "Cheese" was a silent debate he was having with himself, though after a few seconds he was sure he had said "Please."

An ugly, black arrow jutted from his shoulder, causing a pang of pity to painfully tug at his chest. Yugi could never bear seeing someone else hurt, no matter who that person was.

Taking a deep breath, Yugi took the few steps down the hall until he was in front of the stranger. Examining him for more injuries, Yugi decided that besides a hair-thin cut on his cheek, his only visibly wound at the moment was that horrid arrow.

Yugi had to remove it in order to staunch the blood flow. He was very good with healing and bandaging as he had had to do it for himself many times. The scars that jaggedly crossed his body were proof. Positioning himself in line with the arrow, he jerked it out as swiftly as he could without tearing more flesh than was necessary. At that moment, he was thankful that this stranger was unconscious, otherwise that definitely would have hurt.

Scurrying around his small home, Yugi retrieved a damp cloth and bandaging. The man was wearing a black shirt, but Yugi had to take it off in order to reach the wound. But in order to take it off, he would have to move the man's shoulder.

Taking the knife that he kept on his belt, Yugi ripped the shirt away from the man's body, revealing a well toned chest. Blushing slightly, Yugi cleaned the wound and bandaged it.

The man was cold-no, he was freezing! Just touching him left Yugi's fingers so numb that they burned in pain. Still, he continued to take care of the wound. Promptly ignoring the blood spreading down the wall from where the man had supposedly leaned against the wall and slid down, Yugi decided that he would have to move him to the bed in his room. He couldn't just leave him in the hallway.

There was only one problem: his room was three rooms down.

Yugi wasn't super strong, but he was strong enough to lift heavy things and so forth. But he had never tried carrying the dead weight of an unconscious man taller than him before. Well, there was a first for everything, the saying goes.

Sighing, Yugi tried to figure the best way to carry the stranger to his room without harming his shoulder. As he was not tall enough to sling him over his shoulder, he would have to carry him bridal style.

Grunting with effort, he lifted the man up, his muscles straining. Walking as fast as he could to his room without dropping the man, he placed him on his bed as gently as possible (which wasn't very gentle, unfortunately). Collapsing on the ground, Yugi heaved for air. He had just come back from gathering more of the wild blueberries he had found near the very edge of the forest where the sun shone brightly all day. He was already exhausted, but now…

Turning his amethyst gaze, for he had violet, innocent eyes, towards the man now resting on his bed in the splashes of moonlight from the large window on the opposite wall. Who was this man anyway? For all he knew, he could have just helped a fugitive running from the law.

But that was ridiculous. Than another thought struck him. What if this man knew his father?

Yugi paled. If that was the case, he had just sealed his fate. Taking deep breathes, he calmed himself down. If this man worked for his father, he might not know what his father probably intended to do with him when he was found. He could not blame this man from simply doing what he was told, even if it was for money. He might need the money for his family, or something like that.

Another thought popped up into his head. What if this man was from the forest? Yugi looked at the sleeping face, slightly taught with pain, and felt his heart soften. Even if he was from the forest, he didn't deserve to die. But even Yugi knew that there was only one thing that lived in the forest.

Vampires.

Yugi wasn't particularly scared of them, despite all the horrible tales that he heard. To him, they just sounded lonely. Just like himself.

Besides, being eaten by a vampire sounded much more appealing than being found by

his father. Not that Yugi _wanted _to be eaten by a vampire, _if _he even _was _a vampire.

But, if this man was a vampire, wouldn't he need blood? He had just been severely

injured after all. Then again, he had heard that flesh wounds didn't affect vampires unless the blade used to wound them was coated with a special poison.

But as far as Yugi knew, only vampire hunters had such blades, or arrows, in this case. Was the man running from a vampire hunter? Was this man even a vampire?!

There was one way to check, Yugi guessed. Vampires had longer canines than humans did, in order to bite and feed from humans. Yugi grimaced from the picture that appeared in his head, but he didn't completely blame the vampires. It wasn't their fault that their survival depended on eating people, or draining them, or whatever. After all, Yugi had seen what humans could do, and as far as he was concerned, being drained of all your blood in an instant was a million times better than _that, _especially since it went to a good cause like keeping someone else alive, whoever that was anyway.

Yugi's curiosity grew about whether or not the bare-chested man laying on his bed really was a vampire. Standing up, Yugi tentatively reached for the man's lip, and pulled the corner up slightly. To his surprise, his canine extended all the way down and over his bottom teeth. The fang flashed in the pale moonlight, sharp as thought. Retracting his hand, Yugi felt his heart racing.

"Oh. My. God." he muttered.

This man _was _a vampire!

Taking a step back, Yugi calmed himself down. It made sense after all-he was so cold! Yugi took another deep breath.

Okay, he had an injured vampire in his house- on his bed, no less- and he had nothing to defend himself with except for a small belt knife which was barely sharp enough to cut cloth.

All in all, he was screwed.

Maybe if he gave him blood now, than he wouldn't be compelled to eat him later…

The only problem was Yugi didn't have any blood. He hadn't put up his traps for a while, preferring to live off what he could find in the fields and the edges of the forest. He was quite knowledgeable when it came to plants, as he had studied them for most of his life. He once had fancied the thought of becoming a healer, but the only person he ever got to consistently heal was himself after his father was done with him.

He did have his own blood, he remembered. Should he just cut himself and give it to the vampire? That seemed like the only option. If not, the vampire might die, or even if he did live, he might kill Yugi. Both options were not appealing to him in the least.

Taking out his knife from his belt, he stared at the blade for a moment before deciding that he would do it over a glass. That way the vampire wouldn't bite his arm.

Leaving his room in favor for the relatively clean kitchen, Yugi searched for a glass. When he had first been running away from his father, he had stumbled upon the house and decided to make it his home. Leaving the outside in its sorry state kept away unwanted visitors, and even if someone did come inside, Yugi would immediately know because the door creaked so loudly.

Finally finding a glass, he placed it on the counter and took a deep breath. The darkness around him seemed to look over his shoulder, while moonlight from the single window in the kitchen glinted on the knife and on the glass. Rolling up his sleeve, he looked down at his already scarred forearm, wincing slightly at the memory of how he got such cuts and of the man who gave them to him.

He brandished his arm over the glass and took in another deep breath for the hundredth time that night. Raising the knife, he swiftly sliced downwards.

Yelping in pain, he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before focusing on keeping the stream of blood down into the glass. Dropping the knife with a clatter he grabbed the skin around the wound, forcing more crimson to roll down his arm and into the glass.

When the glass was full, Yugi quickly bandaged himself. Wiping the counter free of blood that had splattered here and there, he finally picked up the cup and returned in darkness to his room, thankful that the house only had one floor so that he didn't have to go up stairs with a glass of blood in the dark. Upon reaching his room, he nearly dropped his glass.

The vampire was awake, though he hadn't moved from his position on the bed. Yugi only knew he was awake because his eyes were open.

Oh, his eyes! They were deep, deeper than hell, as if Yugi could see straight into the other's cold soul. They were red-no, they were ruby! No, no, no they were crimson, or a dark scarlet. Or perhaps burgundy would be a better word? Yugi was lost, and the vampire hadn't even looked at him straight on yet.

But when he did notice the human in the doorway and his gaze landed on the wide amethyst eyes staring at him, Yugi could almost feel the weight of those eyes upon him. He could not look away.

After a moment of silence between the two as they simply stared into each other's eyes, Yugi finally made the first move.

Walking over to the vampire lying on his bed as if he was simply a friend with a cold and not a bloodsucking "monster," Yugi held up the glass of blood.

"Are you feeling better? You should probably have a bit of this, and it's really fresh, you know…if that's…um…important…"

Without a word the handsome vampire snatched the glass out of Yugi's hand and drained it in two seconds flat. Sitting up more, the vampire watched him. They had not broken eye contact through the entire thing.

"Um…my name's Yugi…not like it matters…and you can stay here for as long as it…um…takes for you to heal…uhh…yeah…do you need more?" Yugi gestured to the glass the vampire was holding. The vampire hesitated, before shaking his head.

Yugi took the glass from him. Standing there, the air taught, Yugi struggled for a thing to say.

"What's your name?" he inquired. If he was crazy enough to allow a vampire to stay in his home, than he at least wanted to know his name.

Again, the vampire hesitated, as if saying so would be too risky.

"Yami."

Yugi nodded. That meant darkness, didn't it?

"A fitting name." he murmured. The vampire nodded in agreement.

"Where did you get such sweet blood?" Yugi blushed. Yami's voice was a deep baritone, and seemed to rumble.

"It was my own."

Yami's crimson eyes narrowed.

"You're lying. A human would never willingly give their blood to a vampire." His voice was colder than his skin had been.

Yugi shook his head. Rolling up his sleeve once more, he revealed the new bandage he had placed there not minutes ago. Crimson eyes widened.

Silence enveloped them once more. Yugi set the empty glass down on the nightstand next to his bed and leaned forward, pointing at Yami's shoulder.

"Can I check your bandage quickly? You were bleeding pretty badly and I want to make sure I don't have to change the dressing."

Yami looked down at his shoulder, as if for the first time he realized that he had been bandaged. His eyes only doubled in size. It was almost funny, but Yugi kept his giggles to himself. This was a serious situation. This guy could kill him the moment he turns around.

Yami nodded, eyes narrowing once more. Ignoring him, Yugi peeled the white cloth to look at the wound. It was doing well; Yami didn't need a new one. Reapplying the bandage, Yugi sat back and eyed his handiwork. It wasn't half bad. Just as he was about to stand back up, Yami grabbed his forearm and pulled him closer.

Unknown to Yami, he had grabbed Yugi's bad forearm, causing Yugi to wince slightly in pain. He didn't let it show on his face however. He had been through worse. _Much _worse.

"What are you planning? Are you keeping me alive so that you can call in a vampire hunter to slowly torment me before killing me? Or are you in league with the Council? Who else wants me _dead_?" Yami hissed in his face, spitting the last word out like poison. Yugi gritted his teeth in pain as Yami tightened his grip on his forearm.

"I'm not working for anybody. All I know is that you came into my house and you needed help, so I helped you. What's so unbelievable about that?" Yugi retorted, a lot less threateningly however. It almost sounded like a plea.

"You humans hate my kind. What reason would you have for helping a vampire?" Yami spat.

Yugi paused. What _was _his real reasoning for helping the man?

"Well, I can't stand seeing others in pain," he answered honestly. "And I don't think that vampires are nearly as bad as some humans are…" he trailed off, images of his father's laughing face haunting his mind. His father had enjoyed watching him scream and writhe so much. He would watch him after a bad day, to cheer himself up. Yugi's eyes grew distant, and he visibly paled. His father had a lot of bad days.

"Hey kid, snap out of it."

Yugi blinked, amethyst eyes refocusing on crimson ones. Looking down, he murmured a "sorry" and couldn't meet Yami's eyes.

Finally Yami released his forearm. Yugi finally looked at him, surprised.

"I believe you." Yami said simply, crimson eyes softening slightly. But suddenly they widened.

"I smell blood."

Yugi chuckled slightly, knowing what he was smelling. Rolling up his sleeve, the bandage he had used earlier was now completely soaked in his blood. He gritted his teeth slightly as he began to remove the bandage.

When Yami saw Yugi's bleeding forearm, he gasped slightly before looking away, the moonlight casting his face into shadow.

"I'm sorry." he muttered.

Yugi smiled at him.

"It's okay. I've been through worse, and you didn't really know. I'll just go redo it."

Yugi got up and redressed his arm. Sadly, some blood had gotten on his shirt and he silently cursed.

"Darn it! I love this shirt!" he whined, momentarily forgetting that Yami was still in the same room with him.

"You like _that _shirt? It's not all that great."

Yugi shot a glare over at Yami who was still reclining on his bed.

"It reminds me of my mother." Yugi said indignantly, before freezing. He had never told anybody that before. Nobody.

"Aww, the little guy misses his mom." Yami teased.

Yugi glowered at him.

"I'm not little! And don't talk about my mom like that!"

Yami smirked.

"Where is your mom anyway? Does she live here too, because if she does, you'll have a lot of explaining to do little one."

As soon as he said it, Yami immediately realized that he had said something wrong along the way. Yugi was not moving, was not breathing. He simply stood there, eyes closed.

"My mother is dead." he whispered.

Silence pervaded the room like a heavy mist. Yami mentally kicked himself. He barely knew Yugi, but there was something about him that made him want to know more. The thought of leaving didn't seem quite so important to him anymore, and for some reason, Yami actually felt _bad _that he had made Yugi upset.

"I'm sorry." Yami breathed. Yugi shook his head and gave a weak smile.

"No its alright…You didn't know. She died when I was fourteen. Things only got bad after that…" Yugi sighed.

Yami frowned.

"How old are you boy?"

Yugi looked at him skeptically, before putting a hand on his hip.

"How old do you think I am? And don't call me boy."

Yami looked at him for a minute, studying his baby features and the soul stealing amethyst eyes that glowed with a light of their own.

"I'd guess…15?"

Yugi scowled.

"I'm 18! Why does everyone always think I'm younger!"

"It's because your so short!"

"I'm not _that _short!"

"Yes! Yes you are!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

Finally Yugi sighed.

"Oh, who cares? What about you Yami, do you have parents?"

Yami nodded his head.

"Yup. But they abandoned me when I was 15."

"That's awful!"

"Not really. It's a vampire custom. I see them every now and then."

"How old are you Yami?"

Yami pulled a vicious grin.

"Guess."

Yugi looked at him. He looked like he was 18, but Yugi knew better. He knew that vampires could live a very long time and not look like they'd aged a day. Still Yami looked young, perhaps he was in his three hundreds? Three thirties? Three fifties? Maybe he should just say a random number.

"I don't know, maybe…uhh…332."

Yami gaped at him.

"How the hell did you know that?!"

"I don't know, I guessed!"

"Who guesses 332?!"

"I do! At least I got it right!"

Yami harrumphed and looked away. They remained silent for a moment before Yugi started giggling, and than Yami was laughing as well until they were both roaring with laughter. Yugi couldn't remember laughing this hard in a long time, not since...well. As the laughter died down, Yugi continued to smile.

Yugi was starting to think that Yami wasn't all that bad.

...please review! You have the power to change the outcome of this story if you communicate with me! Seriously, I am easily persuaded! Thank you!


	3. Chapter 3

Please review! I really hope you like this chapter...you'll see why...

Chapter 3

"We dance around a ring and suppose

But the secret sits in the middle and knows."

- 'The Secret Sits' by Robert Frost

"Yugi?"

"Yeah?"

"Why do you live out in this awful house? Don't you have friends? Family?"

It had been over a week since Yugi had found Yami with an arrow through his shoulder in his hallway. They had become quite close, although Yami kept denying it.

"I ran away from home."

At the moment, Yugi was back to picking wild blueberries at the edge of the forest. Yami had come to join him, as despite common belief, vampires were unaffected by sunlight.

"Why?"

Yugi looked over at Yami. At the moment, he was leisurely leaning up against a tree, his arms crossed, eyes trained on him. Yugi sighed. He should have known this would come up. To be honest, he was surprised it hadn't come up sooner.

"Your shoulder must be better for you to be able to cross your arms."

"Why won't you tell me Yugi?"

Yugi looked down.

"It's not something I like talking about."

He went back to picking blueberries. The bush had grown quite tall, and it was hard to reach the dark, ripe berries in some places.

"Sometimes its better to talk about it."

Yugi looked back over at Yami. He hadn't changed his posture. It was as if he didn't just want to know, he _needed _to know. As if it was a big deal to him. As if Yugi didn't start cooperating he would pin him down to the ground and threaten him until he found out.

Yugi gulped. He was slightly worried about how Yami would react to the story of his past. But, he did not want to be pinned to the ground by a vampire wanting information, so he decided that this was a best of time if any.

Yugi picked a few more blue berries before walking over to Yami.

"I'll tell you when we get home, okay?"

Yami nodded, satisfied. He pushed off the tree he was leaning against and waited for Yugi to walk up next to him before they both headed home.

Yami had asked if he could stay with Yugi until he properly healed, and Yugi had graciously agreed. He could trust him now, he thought, and he didn't mind the handsome man in his house. Shaking his head, he was glad that he had helped Yami, because some where along the way, they had become friends. At first, the vampire had seemed cold and unforgiving, but as soon as he saw that he might be hurting Yugi, he would apologize.

But no matter how much he trusted the vampire, Yugi still paled at the idea of telling him. He would pale at the thought of telling _anyone. _

They reached his decaying home quickly. Yami had been walking especially fast, and at one point Yugi actually had to jog to keep up. This was rather annoying, as he had to be careful not to spill any blueberries from the basket he was carrying them in.

Pushing through the back door which wasn't nearly as squeaky as the front one was, Yami held the door open for him. Muttering a "thank you" Yugi sped into the kitchen and placed the blueberries on the counter. He was about to turn around when he caught sight of a splatter of blood on the smooth surface. Yami had been living on Yugi's blood after failing to find enough small game to satisfy his need for blood. Yugi was happy to give it to him, though he found that he was getting slowly weaker, and sometimes he would have small bouts of dizziness.

Suddenly he was spun around, and ruby-red eyes inches away from his amethyst.

"Well?"

Yugi gulped.

"Can we sit down?"

Yami sighed, and took a step back.

"Can't you just tell me now?"

Yugi stared back into those pleading crimson eyes, and realized that Yami was seriously worried about him, whether he would admit it or not.

Yugi let go of his breath, but he didn't remember deciding to hold it in the first place. He nodded.

And so there, standing with his back to the kitchen counter and only a couple feet away from a vampire that he trusted, Yugi began to talk

"It started after my mother died when I was fourteen…well, actually that's not true. It had started before that, in fact it had been going on for a long time, but it got worse when my mother died. At first, my father would just come home really drunk and beat me, but I always forgave him because he was drunk and didn't know what he was doing. That's what I thought, anyway.

"When…when my mother died in this freak accident, my father didn't come out of his room for three whole days. I was so…so sad. He was so sad. I couldn't remember ever feeling so useless. And it was than that my father came in to 'check on me.' It was that day when all of it first started.

"He…he would tie me to my bed and…and torture me. At first he just used the kitchen knives that we had…but than one day he came back with this whip. It only got worse after that. Than one day, he came home really, really drunk. He tied me to the bed, and I thought it was going to be the usual, but he…he…he climbed on top of me…and…and…he…"

Yugi was crying, though he didn't know when he had started. He couldn't go on, he couldn't talk about this, not anymore.

Yami stepped forward and hugged him, careful of his shoulder. Yugi wrapped his arms around him and sobbed into his good shoulder.

"He would call me worthless…and pathetic…weak…the only thing I was good at was healing my own wounds…and about five months ago…I ran. I couldn't do it anymore! I couldn't take it! I couldn't live another day in that awful house…with _him. _Yami, why did this have to happen to me? What did I ever do? And now he's after me, he's got men looking for me. When I was healing you, I wondered if you were one of his men! Why, Yami, why? Why? Why…"

Yugi didn't know how long they stood there, clinging to each other. Somewhere along the way, Yami had started murmuring to him.

"I'm so sorry Yugi. I'm so sorry."

After Yugi had stopped crying and they both stopped hugging, Yugi smiled sheepishly.

"So now I'm here."

Yami looked grave.

"Is that why you always wear long sleeve shirts?"

Yugi laughed.

"Yeah, yeah that's why."

"Can I see?" Yami was staring intently into his eyes.

Yugi nodded.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Yami took hold of the forearm that Yugi hadn't been using to feed him and started rolling up the sleeve. He had seen Yugi's forearms before, but never up close like this, and what he found made him shudder.

Both long and thin scars crisscrossed his skin. Some where spider thin, others astonishingly large and blotchy. Like his skin had been shaved off…

Yami ran a finger along an especially gruesome one that was ragged and thick, but ran down the length of his entire forearm.

"Whip." Was all Yugi could get out.

Yami growled, low and threatening.

"To do this to a soul so caring to help a vampire…to perform something so cruel to someone so innocent…how twisted must one be to harm such a person? I hate them. _I hate them._"

Yugi felt his chest tighten with fear as he looked up into Yami's eyes and found them glazed over in anger. He'd never seen Yami like this, nor did he ever want to.

Yugi took a step back, pulling his hand out of Yami's grasp, but he only growled deeper. Something wasn't right. This wasn't the Yami Yugi knew.

"Yami…"

Another growl, low and _deadly. _

Yugi reached out to him, trying to reach him. Yami wouldn't harm him, but something was wrong. Yugi needed to help him!

"Yami!"

Yami's crimson eyes flashed, and he swiped out at Yugi. His claws tore across his chest, leaving bloody gashes in their wake. Yugi yelped in pain and flew until he slammed into the counter, falling to the floor.

But that didn't hurt him as much as when Yami started laughing.

"Finally, I'm free!" Yami laughed, before looking down at Yugi with a disgusted smirk.

"You worthless human…" Yami kicked him on his chest, right on the gash he had just made. Yugi gasped, but ground his teeth and faced up to him.

"You're not Yami! Give Yami back!"

"Don't talk to me you insolent boy! How pathetic…"

Yugi started to crawl towards Yami, trying to get him back, but Yami backhanded him. Yugi fell to the floor, Yami laughing above him.

Yami kicked him again, on the head. Dizzy and disoriented, the pain was only worse when he was kicked in the stomach. Coughing up blood, Yugi looked up with bleary amethyst eyes, glimmering with pain. More kicks, everywhere, until suddenly the beating paused.

"Yami…" he whimpered, before closing his eyes trying to keep his breathing in check.

It was than he heard a gasp of shock and horror. Opening his eyes once more, he looked at the floor. He saw his own reflection in the blood that was rushing from the gash on his chest. Mustering strength, he raised his head. Their eyes locked.

Yami's scarlet eyes now looked guilty, horribly, terribly, guilty. Horror was spreading across his face like a disease. And oh, the guilt.

Yugi coughed again, trying to force down the blood coming up his throat. He'd been through worse.

Pushing himself up and off the ground, his hands sticky in his blood, he almost slipped. Leaning against the counter, Yugi looked back up at Yami, who was staring down at him.

"Are…you…alright?" Yugi panted, and it was than that Yami broke down.

He was down by Yugi, on his knees, eyes wide. He gulped, silent tears streaming down his blood splattered cheeks.

"How can you ask me if I'm alright when…when…you're…"

Yami shook his head. Yugi smiled weakly.

"I'm fine. I've been through much worse than this. Don't worry Yami, you didn't mean too."

"But I-"

"No. No, you didn't. Could you get me a bandage? I can patch myself up."

Yugi lifted up a hand and wiped away Yami's tears. Yami nodded, eyes slightly glassy with a kaleidoscope of emotions. Standing he came back with a bandage and a wet cloth.

Yugi raised a hand to take them, put Yami gently grabbed it and put it to the side. He than proceeded to bandage Yugi up, cleaning the wound, and placing the dressing on properly.

They had to take Yugi's shirt off, and he almost lost it again when he saw the rest of Yugi's chest, stomach, sides, and back. They were almost nothing but scars, so many scars. They were innumerable, jaggedly crossing over each other in a spiky web of pure, pale pain. Taking a deep breath, Yami continued to help Yugi, ignoring his concerned gaze fixed on him.

After he had taken care of Yugi, he sat down with a heavy thud, splashing a little in Yugi's blood. It made him sick.

"Yami…what just happened?" Yugi whispered.

Yami looked at him, eyes brimming with dread and guilt.

"Sometimes…when I lose my temper…I become a completely different person. Apparently, I get stronger…but I do awful…awful…Oh Yugi…"

And suddenly Yugi was hugging Yami, holding him close, despite how cold he felt. Yugi winced at first, but shrugged off the nearly blinding pain and whirling vertigo moving his body caused. Right now, Yami needed him.

"It's okay Yami. It's okay."

And they staid like that for hours. Just sitting, embracing, comforting each other, even when Yugi nearly fainted from dizziness and blood loss, for both of them at that moment were broken.

But slowly, they were being pieced back together. Except this time, a new piece was fit in with the rest. But like a puzzle, if you don't have one piece, the rest will fall away.

The question for you readers now is:

How long will it take them to realize that that extra piece is each other?


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you all for the support! Please review and tell me if you hate me or love me for this chapter! You guys will probably hate me, but tell me anyway! If you have any suggestions on how the story should go, please pm me! I am ALWAYS open to ANYTHING. Hope you like the chapter!

Chapter 4

"O soft embalmer of still midnight

Shutting, with careful fingers and benign,

Our gloom-pleas'd eyes, embower'd from light

Enshaded in forgetfulness divine."

- 'To Sleep' By John Keats

Yugi woke up screaming as if the blood and the man that had haunted his dreams was still there, beckoning to him.

Sitting up, cold sweat dripped from his forehead and off of the tips of his hair. His sheets and pajamas were thoroughly drenched.

Yami sat across from him, holding his hand, making Yugi blush. His brow was creased in concern.

"Yugi, are you alright?"

No, no Yugi was not alright, but he nodded his head.

"I came as soon as I could." Yami stated.

Yami's shoulder had completely healed except for a few times when it ached. At first, Yugi thought that Yami was going to leave right away, but than Yami explained that he wanted to stay longer to hide from the Council, as he had already confessed his situation to the younger boy. In fact, he had confessed almost everything to the small boy over the relatively long time they had lived together. What was it, coming on three months now? And of course, Yugi was happy for the company. More than happy.

Now that his shoulder was fully healed, Yami had taken to disappearing during the nights to go and hunt so that he wouldn't have to keep taking blood from Yugi. Sometimes he would come home with half a deer over his shoulder.

Yami let go of Yugi's hand, but continued to sit at that foot of his bed. His presence was comforting and needed.

Soon, Yugi drifted off to sleep once more, attempting to release the apparition of his previous dream.

_Yugi looked up from the beating, from the burning, from the blood. There stood the man, smirking. _

_This man Yugi knew well. His slick ebony hair clung to his head, and his narrow green eyes cackled in delight at the sight of Yugi shackled and bleeding before him._

_His father. _

_"Yugi, I heard you made a friend. You're not suppose to make friends. What should your punishment be?"_

_Yugi simply lowered his head, before glancing up in anticipation. The pain that ran deep in his amethyst eyes only made the man before him guffaw. _

_Sniggering, his father took a step forward looking down at him._

_"Or maybe I should punish _him._"_

_Yugi's eyes widened in shock and fright as Yami appeared next to the man, tightly bound to the wall._

_"Yugi!" he shouted upon seeing the teen, but before he could say more the crack of a whip on his stomach made him wince in pain._

_"YAMI!" Yugi shrieked, as his father tortured his friend. _

_"NO! PLEASE! TORTURE ME INSTEAD! WHIP ME, NOT HIM! NOT HIM!" Yugi screeched. _

_His father looked over at his son, leering. _

_"You want to be whipped instead?"_

_"YES! PLEASE KILL ME, NOT HIM! NOT YAMI!"_

_His father raised the whip and continued to beat Yugi, though Yugi was glad. Even as Yami was screaming at him, calling his name…_

_His father came in really close than and whispered in his ear._

_"Will you let me take you, or him?"_

_As his father was starting to undo his belt, Yugi caught on._

_"Please…take me…not Yami…" he whimpered. _

_But his father had turned around. He was walking towards Yami. He was inches from him, from…_

_"Beg."_

_Yugi cringed slightly, and his father was about to-_

_"NO!" Yugi screamed._

_ His father paused, looking over at him. Yugi ignored Yami's pleading crimson eyes._

_"Please father, I want you to pound me, please plow me hard so that I can't think. Take me, not Yami, not Yami…I want you to make love to me. Please, I'm _begging. _Please…"_

_His father chuckled, before walking over to Yugi. But just as the worst was about to happen, everything became so cold, so utterly cold. It was freezing! Yugi started shivering, it was so damn _cold_! It felt as if everything, even the air he breathed, had frozen to ice. He was beginning to feel numb, so numb, so cold…_

His dream shattered, and Yugi blinked his amethyst eyes open.

The coldness had not left, if anything, it had increased! Yugi shivered, trying to find some warmth, but the coldness was swallowing his entire being. It was almost as if it had arms that were wrapping around him, pulling him close…

It was only than that he realized Yami was holding him.

Yugi stiffened at first, but that only made Yami hug him closer, pulling him up against his muscled chest.

Yugi took in deep breathes, fighting back the tears in his eyes. That was no dream. It was a nightmare. He lost his battle, and tears streamed.

"Ssh, little one. It's alright. He's not taking me. It's alright."

Yugi's breath hitched.

"You screamed in your sleep little one, don't be frightened."

That only made Yugi cry more. Had Yami heard everything?

"It's alright little one. No one's going to harm you. I'm here. I'm right here Yugi. It's okay."

So Yugi lay in his cold arms and cried. Yami simply held him, trying to calm down his gut wrenching sobs that like daggers to his heart made him want to cry as well.

They staid that way till morning, and when the dawn kissed the horizon, she also kissed away Yugi's tears.

Yugi sat up and gave a long shuddering sigh. Yami sat up quickly next to him, crimson eyes drenched in concern. Yugi gave a weak smile.

"How much did you hear?" he croaked, voice hoarse from sobbing.

Yami looked away from him for a moment.

"Everything."

Yugi choked back another sob. He had never remembered crying so much. It was as if all his pent up emotions were spilling out of him in a raging torrent, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Yugi hugged himself, trying to get some feeling back into his numb body. He was so cold! He rubbed up and down, trying to create friction. Upon seeing this, Yami stepped away. Being close to him would not help his problem.

But as Yami was backing away, Yugi reached out and grabbed his hand.

"I don't mind." Yugi whispered smiling.

Yami smiled back, and sat back down next to him. Grabbing a blanket from the bed, he pulled it over Yugi's shoulders.

"Thanks." Yugi whispered warmly, a small smile on his face and pink tingling his cheeks.

After warming up as much as he could, Yugi got out of bed and started doing chores, while Yami followed around and helped whenever he could. It was a routine that both of them had eased into from the start, and the natural trust that bonded them together had only grown stronger. They held no secrets from each other, and sometimes they found that they knew each other so well it was frightening.

It was in the evening, and Yami was leaving to go get his dinner.

"Bye Yugi, see you in a bit. I shouldn't be long." Yami shouted out before leaving through the back door.

"Alright! Be careful!" Yugi called after him. He was in the kitchen, and he had just finished eating some of the acorn pancakes he enjoyed so much. Retreating to his room, Yugi lay down on his bed and pulled out the small, copper bound journal that he cherished. Once, before many woes had been born, his mother had bought him this journal for his birthday.

Yugi liked to write poetry, when he could, even if it wasn't particularly good (in his opinion). Poetry had been one of the many ways he had tried dealing with the overwhelming stress that had risen from his father, but now it was more of an old habit he didn't want to break.

Picking up his journal, he quickly skimmed through several poems that he had previously written. His eyes landing on a particular poem, his nimble hands froze, staring at the yellow crinkled paper and the black, glistening words. His eyes read the lines, but his mind was far away, in a room in the dark with a man with a dagger.

Why must my dreams fall like livid rain?

Why must the wind pale at the sight of the sane?

Why must my life float like a falling leaf?

Why must the knife beckon to my grief?

My dreams, my life

The wind, the knife

Since when did these words whisper back?

Since when did these words whimper back?

Like some spirit confined in a prison of thought

Crafted with memory but with nothing was wrought

My eyes half lidded cast shadows on the door

While the badness lies there on the cold floor

My dreams, my life

The wind, the knife

Since when did these words wander back?

Since when did these words ponder back?

What morning cause the mourning of these wings?

The temptation sloshes whilst the drunkard sings

Where lingered the will to take that leap of shock

Where does the wind laugh, where does the knife mock?

My dreams, my life

The wind, the knife

Since when did these words seem so cold?

Since when did these words seem so old?

Amidst the camouflage of broken skulls and graves

A cracking word swears at the outcasts and slaves

Silence watches in mild amusement as my dreams shatter

My life falls on the floor with a loud clatter

My dreams, my life

The wind, the knife

Since when did these words seem so free?

Since when did these words seem so much like me?

Yugi was jerked out of his stupor by the sound of the front door loudly creaking open.

"Yami?" Yugi called out, surprised. Yami had just left, hadn't he? He couldn't be back so soon, could he? And why would he use the front door?

Yugi got up out of bed, leaving his journal open on the ruffled sheets. Walking into the hallway, Yugi froze.

In front of him stood many shadows, almost all blending into one, but the faint moonlight from the far end of the hallway traced their individual lines in silhouettes of midnight and silver. Yugi didn't even have time to gasp before one of the shadows had leapt forward, seized him by the throat, and pushed him up against the wall.

"Where is Yami?" the shadow hissed. Yugi stared, wide eyed, at the man choking him. He had straight brown hair and piercing ice blue eyes that seemed to flicker in amusement at the blinding pain choking Yugi was causing.

Yugi closed his frantic amethyst eyes, and swallowed the pain. Oh the pain, the pain that encircled his neck and crushed his breath, the pain that was stealing his life, the pain that rocked back and forth, chanting, whispering, all the same question, all the same words.

"Where is Yami? Where is Yami? We know he was here, we can smell his scent. Where is Yami? The pain will stop if you say where he is. Where is Yami? Where is Yami?"

Suddenly, the pain released him. Yugi collapsed to the ground, panting, gargling, fighting for breath, for life.

But he was given no respite. Shadows clasped his hands and brought him up and bound him to the wall. Yugi whimpered.

"Where is Yami?" the man hissed again, smirking. Yugi caught the flash of fangs in the moonlight. These men weren't men; they were vampires.

He couldn't tell them where Yami was. These vampires were probably from the Council; Yugi couldn't tell them. That would be betraying Yami if he did, and if there was one thing he would never do, it would be betraying a friend. Yugi couldn't tell them.

The blue eyed vampire looked around at his companions, as if waiting for some signal to continue. Finding no opposition, the vampire took a step closer to Yugi, a glittering blade in his hand.

Yugi eyed the knife, analyzing it. Its purpose was mainly for throwing, due to the way that it widened towards the tip for balance. His father had brought one home once, explained to him what it was, before 'putting it to good use.'

The man slashed Yugi across the chest, from left to right. Yugi bit his tongue so hard that it bled. He wouldn't scream. He shouldn't scream. He couldn't scream.

Yami would hear him if he did.

The cut the man gave him was right over the still healing wound Yami himself had inflicted. Yugi merely flinched, but how the torture stole him, pulled him taught, and dangled him, as if he was some toy to be slowly burned for being defective.

Snarling, the man slashed him once more, right below his first cut. This wound was deeper, and damn it all to hell Yugi wanted to scream! He wanted to shriek bloody murder! He wanted to cry for help, for someone to save him, help him, or just end it quickly.

But he remained quiet, as if the slightest grunt would immediately warn Yami that he was in danger.

He wouldn't tell them.

He shouldn't tell them.

He couldn't tell them.

Another cut, this time vertical from his belly button to his collarbone.

Silent tears flowed down his flushed cheeks, and one glance into those glimmering amethyst eyes caught the glossy glistening of agony so sharp it could have sliced deeper than any knife.

"Where is Yami?"

Yugi shook his head. He would say nothing. He would die before he said but one word to these vampires. Apparently the vampires could see that in his eyes, for they all narrowed their eyes.

"Where is Yami?"

Blood drenched his clothes as he hung, suspended. The crimson trickled down his legs in rivulets, caressing his bare feet, and dripping into a growing puddle on the ground.

Another vampire with wild white hair stepped forward, as if to finish the job.

He couldn't tell them.

Yugi stared at him dully, before smiling weakly.

He was happy.

He was happy that he had met Yami, that he could have enjoyed these few months of freedom, that he could die with the knowledge that he was not in his father's grasp, and that he died for a friend.

He was happy.

Tears mixed with blood. Amethyst eyes splintered, unfocused. A voice whispered in the back of his head.

_My dreams, my life_

_The wind, the knife_

_Since when did these words seem so free?_

_Since when did these words seem so much like me?_

The vampire with the ice blue eyes grabbed the other vampire that was approaching him.

"Leave him, Bakura. That way, when Yami returns, he'll be angry."

The other vampire growled.

"But Seto-"

He was cut off by a sharp, icy glance. The vampire cast his eyes at Yugi as if in disappointment, and then they were gone, leaving Yugi bound to the wall, waiting.

His breathing came in ragged pants. In anguish he gulped. Blood left him, rolling down his skin. The feeling of his lifeblood murmuring farewell nearly brought out a sob, but still Yugi clenched his teeth.

Yugi made the mistake of looking down for a moment. He shuddered when he saw his reflection stare back, captured in the moonlight, in the blood.

He was weak, so weak, and dizzy. His vision was blurring, and fast. Black dots dashed around with the shadows that lapped at the wall thrown by the moon. Soon, his vision was entirely black.

Pain, pain everywhere. Pain aching across his body, pain aching in his chest. He wanted to see Yami one more time.

Pain.

Before he fell into the angel of black unconsciousness, he caught the sound of creaking floorboards, and a solitary gasp that contained the sorrow of a thousand souls.

Yugi wished to speak, wished to say it was alright before he fell into sleep, because he knew someone was there, and that gasp was so sad. He wanted to comfort them.

But how could he speak when the world caged him with forgotten souls?

How could he speak when the darkness had all but claimed him?

How could he speak when he was choking on Yami's name?

Head drooping forward, Yugi closed his broken eyes. He was gone.

...hehehe, another cliffy! Please review, or Yugi dies! (just kidding, but review anyway!)


	5. Chapter 5

Hi guys! I big thank you goes out to all those people who reviewed/favorited/followed! I'm starting out with Yami's POV this time...Also, tell me if you like or dislike my poetry. I wrote it myself :P so review and say what you think. Is it annoying? Is it great? Do you just skip over it?! Please tell me! Thanks! Hope you like it...

Chapter 5

"Sweetest love, I do not go,

For weariness of thee,

Nor in hope the world can show

A fitter love for me;

But since that I

Must die at last, 'tis best

To use myself in jest

Thus by feigned deaths to die."

- 'Song' by John Donne

Yami stood, frozen, eyes wide in pure shock.

The darkness of the night dribbled with shadow, and a small breeze trickled through the tightly knit trees.

The scent that wafted with this breeze was what had caused Yami to stand utterly still.

The scent of blood.

_Human _blood.

Specifically, a human he knew very well, because he could recognize that blood scent anywhere.

Yugi.

Before he knew it, Yami was at the back door, bursting into the house. Never had he remembered ever running so fast, but he did not linger on the thought.

The stench of blood was so strong it made Yami salivate. Yugi's blood was the sweetest he had ever had, after all. Pushing the small urge away, Yami searched the house.

Yugi wasn't in the kitchen. Nor was he in the dining room.

As Yami was about to leave the dining room, he stopped and stared at the floor.

Underneath the door lazily stretched a small puddle of blood. Yami gulped.

No.

No.

NO!

Rushing through the door, Yami splashed in the huge puddle of blood that spread down the hallway.

And there, _there was Yugi. _

He hung, held up only by his hands by writhing darkness that Yami knew as shadow magic.

His amethyst eyes were affixed on nothing, staring into the endless universe of forever that expanded beyond the barriers of time. Ugly, pitch black bruises circled his neck like a blotchy, tattoo necklace.

His russet long sleeve shirt (if Yami could even call it russet, it was more crimson than brown) was sliced open, revealing the three…the three _cuts. _

They were horrid.

They were awful.

They were _terrifying._

So much blood.

The blood, how it dripped, down his legs, off his toes, into the growing puddle.

Blood.

_Blood._

Yami didn't know what he was doing. One moment he was staring transfixed at Yugi, the next Yugi was in his arms on the floor, unbound.

"Yugi. Yugi, oh _God, _Yugi! Yugi, wake up. Please wake up. Yugi."

Deep breath. In. Out.

"It's going to be okay Yugi. It's going to be alright. I'm here. Yugi. Yugi. It's going to be alright, little one."

Bandaging him. He's breathing, so softly. His heartbeat is slow, fighting.

"Yugi, hold on. Hold on. Please Yugi, I love you. I love you Yugi. Wake up, love. Wake up, my little one. Wake up so I can love you."

Yami was crying. He was crying as if he had never cried before that moment, as if his eyes only knew how to sob with the utmost sorrow, as if they only knew how to shed the tears of the cold, cruel world.

Sometime, Yami wasn't sure when, he had moved Yugi to his bed. It was than that he came across Yugi's journal.

He had remembered Yugi telling him of his love for poetry, if not random and a bit childish, as the younger boy put it. But as he began to flip through the worn pages, he could not help but gasp.

And so, sitting next to Yugi as he breathed shallow breathes, Yami began to read to him.

At first he would just whisper the words so carefully written, as if they were just that: words on otherwise blank pages. But as time passed, and Yugi's eyes would flutter with what remained of his life, and the minutes turned to hours, Yami read more confidently.

When a whole day had passed, Yami had come to the last poem in the notebook.

He looked from Yugi to the journal, and back again.

The last poem.

He felt almost scared to read it, as if as soon as he would speak Yugi would leave him forever. But Yugi wouldn't do that. Yugi wouldn't leave him. He couldn't. He just couldn't.

He took a deep breath, and read it aloud. His voice grew quieter and quieter, silence enveloping, until he was whispering the last line.

"The morn settles, nuzzling with the earliest haze

Whilst the bitter air pinches the pallid skin

So shivering, the trail strays high and thin

Where shadows dangle and silences graze

Though the cold burns and banishes dream bringer

The haphazard colonnade holds up an ashen sky

That in the distance still licks the night's fur awry

As on the shoulders of the wind rides a singer

Born upon the ridges, scratching the mountain's back

He echoes into the pale fading sapphire cloaking

A mantle upon the ends of time slowly approaching

Boundless across a canvas with paintbrushes black

Merging into the voiceless groans of immortal trees

Morphing into the bracken spun with keen thorns

Fusing with the stony face as it reared awesome horns

Becoming one with these notes drifting in the breeze

As if conceived on a journey from cloud to ground

Sparkling with the countless stars glimmering

Between bare fingers, caught in their shimmering

Stealing a breath when naught but beauty sound

So standing, facing the singer as he smiled

Caressing a cheek softer than tender hope

Pushing onward, as if pulled by some unseen rope

Gut wrenching, the soul flutters, reconciled."

Yami blinked away tears.

How long had he loved Yugi?

Maybe he had started to love him when he first saw the teen standing in his bedroom doorway, tentatively grasping a glass of blood, amethyst eyes clenched in worry and wide with hope. Hope for a friend, even if that friend was a wounded, bloodsucking monster.

Perhaps it was when Yugi had told him that his mother was dead, or the time when Yugi had offered him his blood for the second time. Maybe it was the time that he had realized that he had almost killed Yugi, only to find out that Yugi didn't hate him for losing his temper over his scars.

Or maybe Yami didn't care when it started. All Yami cared about now was that Yugi was alright.

He was too worried to be angry, too concerned, too much in love.

He would deal with whoever did this to him later.

But right now, Yugi needed him.

It wasn't long after that that Yugi woke up, eyes blinking in pain and confusion, but softening in relief when they met with Yami's crimson orbs.

Smiling slightly, Yugi attempted to sit up, but Yami gently pushed him back down.

Yugi stared at his friend, who had thus far remained silent. Yami's face was a mask- he could not pry any expression from his face. Only his eyes spoke, and they dripped with tears and seemed to dip into a vastness of relief, worry, and something else that Yugi could not name.

He was dizzy, but he was worried about Yami. Had he gotten angry? Was he alright? When had he found him?

Actually, why wasn't he dead?

Yami must have…taken him down, if that's how he should say it, and bandaged him up before he lost too much blood. His body was used to losing blood by now.

Yugi blinked up at Yami and shakily raised a hand and wiped away the drying tears crusting his beautiful cheeks. The ghost of a smile tugged at Yami's lips at the action.

Yugi wanted to see Yami smiling; he wanted to see him laughing. He didn't want to see this Yami, this Yami who seemed half broken with what he nearly lost.

"Yami…" Yugi whispered painfully.

"What is it aibou?" Yami whispered back.

Yugi blinked at the new nickname. He was happy that Yami thought of him that way. More than happy.

"Yami…I…" Yugi felt tiredness start to drag at his eyes. No, he couldn't fall asleep now. He had to say it. He had to get it out. It wasn't Yami's fault.

He had to tell him.

"Shh aibou. You need to rest."

"Ya…mi…"

"Quiet young one. Rest now."

Of their own accord, Yugi's eyelids were falling, drifting down. Darkness surrounded him, making him whimper. He didn't want to be all alone in the dark.

Before he sank into sleep, he caught the flashing of Yami's crimson eyes, brimming with guilt, and then there it was.

Anger.

No.

NO!

Yugi couldn't fall asleep now! Yami needed him! He was getting mad, and Yami wasn't himself when he was mad.

But it was too late. Yugi was banished to darkness and suspense. Nightmares haunted him. The kind of ones where his father was with him. He only wished to awaken, but sleep held him fast.

No.

No.

He has to wake up now.

No.

No.

He has to wake up.

_Now._

No…

Yami looked up from the sleeping Yugi, crimson eyes roaring and aflame.

Anger.

Flame.

Pain.

Whoever did this?

They would _pay._

_...Gosh, _I really love cliffhangers, don't I? Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks for all the reviews! Thank you so much! You have no idea how grateful I am! Now, I know this is a short chapter, but the next one makes up for it! I promise! I'll make you all a deal...if I get five reviews in the next hour, I'll post Chapter 7 right away! If not, than you have to wait...

I hope you like it!

Chapter 6

"Lo! Death hath rear'd himself a thrown."

- 'The Doomed City' By Edgar Alan Poe

When Yugi woke up, he woke up to complete and utter silence.

At first, he didn't understand what was going on. Where was he? What was he doing here?

He stared up at a creamy colored, crumbling ceiling. He was at home, at the abandoned house.

Where was Yami?

Yami.

The thought struck Yugi so fast that it made his breath hitch. Where was Yami? Was Yami alright? Where was Yami? Where was Yami?

Was Yami alright?

Yugi took in a deep breath.

Blinking he tried sitting up. Almost immediately, he regretted it. Pain tore through him, as if just then his body remembered how to feel. Agony danced on his chest. Anguish played at his throat. His whole body echoed pain.

The silence was unbearable.

Yugi sat up quickly, and forbade himself from wishing he hadn't. He lapped at the pain.

Soon he was standing. Trying to control his breathing, he leaned heavily on the wall as he precariously made it out of his room and down the hallway.

Out the back door. Through the fields. Up towards the trees…

Until finally, he was standing at the edge of the forest at the roots of the mountain and the birth of the road.

Breathe, he told himself. Breathe. His knees wobbled. His arms shook. His heart raced.

He hurt like he was two steps from hell.

Throbbing, everywhere. Resonating in his skull. Yanking at his will. Until finally, Yugi was brought to his knees from the sheer force of this pain. His nerves were on fire.

His father had done this to him often, so often, and still he was so weak. So weak.

Yugi closed his amethyst eyes, wishing, asking, pleading, _begging. _Just let this stop. Let it all stop.

Yami.

Yugi opened his eyes and stared up the road until amidst the shadows he caught glistening crimson.

"Yami?" Yugi croaked, voice hoarse, broken.

Silence.

"Yugi?" came the weak reply. That voice, it was so fractured, so blind…

Gazing into the darkness, Yugi saw him.

Yami stood there, at the edge of the road straight in front of him, tears falling from his regal crimson eyes. They held no anger, only regret. Bitter, aching regret.

He was soaked with blood. His face was splattered with the ruby droplets; his clothes seemed to have been dunked in blood. They were so wet with crimson that it stuck to his body.

Blood.

"Yami!" Yugi called out enthusiastically, simply thankful that he was there. He didn't seem injured, but it was hard to tell because of all…because of all the…of all the blood.

Yugi tried standing up, but the feeble attempt only made him fall onto the road. Thunder rumbled above them. Since when had a storm been brewing? Yugi did not know nor did he care. All he cared for was that Yami was alright.

Hands, _bloody hands_ were helping him up. Blood. The stench clogged his nose. It made him gag.

Yugi looked straight up into Yami's eyes. He wanted to scream, to sob, to cry at the sight of those eyes.

They were fragmented. They were shattered. They were smashed.

Gone. Lost. Broken.

"Yami. Yami, what happened? Yami are you alright?" Yugi whispered, concern steeping his voice.

Yami simply stared that hollow, horrid, heart-wrenching stare.

"Yami?"

Yami looked away. His features darkened, cast into some shadow from a memory.

"I killed them."

"What?"

"I killed them all. The women. The children. The Council."

Yugi was shocked. Yami…had killed all the vampires? Yami had…Yami had…

Silence.

"Yami?"

That's when Yami broke down he fell to his knees, and Yugi followed him. Tears leapt from his eyes. His eyes were wide, frantic.

"I killed them Yugi. I KILLED THEM!" His voice clawed with desperation. His eyes wild. His mouth foaming. Blood splattered. Blood.

Yugi embraced him.

Blood. Pain. PAIN. The motion almost made Yugi faint, and the stench, the drenched shirt…

This was Yami.

"Shhh, it's okay. It's going to be okay Yami. It's going to be alright. I'm here. Yami. Yami. It's going to be alright. I'm right here. Yami."

Sobs wracked his frame. Yugi could _feel _his heart cracking. He had to help Yami. He was so cold. So cold…

"Yami, I have something to tell you. I wanted to tell you before, but…but I couldn't…I wasn't strong enough. Yami…Yami I…I love you Yami."

The sobbing froze. Tear stained crimson eyes stared into amethyst ones. A tug of hope glimmered between them, but Yami was falling. He was falling fast. Yugi could see it in his eyes.

He need to save Yami before he fell all the way down into that cage, that same cage he himself had locked himself in. A cage of forgotten souls, a cage of darkness, a cage where one threw the key into an abyss inside a vortex on the outer edges of the universe.

Leaning forward, Yugi placed his lips onto of Yami's. They tasted tangy and metallic with blood. Yugi pressed forward anyway. Yami remained unresponsive to the kiss.

Yugi felt tears stream from his cheeks as well. Yami didn't love him back in the first place, did he? Or course not, what could he have been thinking? He was too weak, too dependent, too small and insignificant.

Yugi slowly backed away from Yami and closed his eyes again. When he opened them, the pain the glimmered there kindled inside of Yami. He never wanted to see those eyes look so heart-broken...so sorrowful…so much brimming with dread…

Leaning forward, he captured Yugi in another kiss.

At first Yugi was surprised, but he soon melted into the kiss. Yami's lips didn't seem as cold as before…

A forest breeze whispered through the trees and caressed the two of them, on their knees, both crying, both embracing.

Unknown to them, two icy blue eyes were glaring at them through the darkness.

Waiting.

The bow drawing back, the fatal arrow nocked and ready to fly.

Aiming.

Yugi opened his eyes. The kissed broke apart and he rest his head on Yami's shoulder.

In that split second, he saw and he heard.

The arrow released.

Yugi pushed Yami down, landing on top of him, but for a second he thought he was going to be too slow. The arrow sailed…

…right past him.

Yami stared wide eyed above him, registering in his mind that arrows were flying towards them.

Scooping up the shell shocked Yugi, he ran.

The wind whipped around them, their surroundings a blur with speed.

Yami was _fast_.

Yugi snuggled into Yami's coldness, letting the pain drain out of him, until he was asleep once more in Yami's arms.

...short and sweet, but like I said, if I get five reviews in the next hour, I post Chapter 7 early! Mwahhaahaahaa! Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you all so much for all the reviews! THANK YOU! You've made my day! I've got chapter 7 for you (sniff, sniff) it's long but I hope you like it! Please review! (And for all those who said Seto was the assassin at the end...we'll see...we'll see...)

Chapter 7

"A whisper from his dawn of life? a

Breath

From some fair dawn beyond the

Doors of death

Far-Far-Away?"

- 'Far-Far-Away' by Alfred L. Tennyson

_The world spun, round and round, like time had zoomed faster than the speed of light. The earth seemed to tremble below his feet. All around he could hear people screaming, shouting, shrieking, but when he squinted all he saw were pale, faceless men and women with stringy black hair that disappeared as fast as smoke in a breeze. _

_Yami blinked, feeling emotions surge through him so strong he felt like he was going to collapse onto his knees. Love. Hate. Anger. Relief. Darkness. Coldness. Warmth. Strength. Passion. Desire. Thirst._

_His crimson eyes narrowed, and it was then that the whirling vortex suddenly stopped so that he could clearly see what was going on. _

_Blood, everywhere. Men and women screeching, jumping at him. He recognized those faces this time. They were vampires._

_To his horror, his body moved of its own accord. Whirling around, he tore of their heads, pulled out their hearts, slicing them in half with his claws. His shadow magic whirled around him, clashing with that of opposing vampires. Shadows swallowed shadows. Yami ripped, shredded, slit, slashed… _

_He growled as his eyes landed on the Council. But it was a strange feeling, almost as if someone else was rumbling in his chest like thunder. Desperately, Yami tried to stop his arms, even though he truly hated those vampires._

_They cackled at him, and pointed, as if he was something to be admire. It was then that Yami realized that the Council had treated him so harshly._

_It was so he would become like _this.

_A few minutes, the joyful and laughing faces of the Council lay cold and bloodless. Holding up his hand in front of his equally crimson eyes, he felt cold horror and terror run through him as he saw the bits of flesh and blood clots sticking like barnacles to fingers._

_Yami ran._

_He was sopping wet with scarlet. Blood droplets were flung off him as he ran, sprinting away, far away from the place where vampires live._

_Or rather, where vampires once lived._

_After having run a little over a mile from that horrid _place_¸ Yami stopped as feeling began to return into his limbs. Yami collapsed. _

_/_Are you okay?/ _a voice whispered._

_Yami turned his head sharply from his position on the ground, but there was nobody there. His crimson eyes widened in panic, and he tried getting up. It was no use. He fell once more._

_/_Yami, stop freaking out. I'm right here, inside of you. Now, are you okay? You just suddenly fell. I didn't hurt our body, did I?/

_As the weight of what he had done continued to sink in, Yami felt weak. Than the words from the voice inside his head wrapped themselves around his thoughts, and he felt emotions tumble into him like an avalanche._

_"You did this?" he hissed weakly. He heard a faint chuckle._

_/_Yes. I suppose I should introduce myself. The name's Atem. The other you. The anger that you fear like death. That's me./

_Yami gulped in pure fright. He was talking to his other self, the person who had killed everyone, and the one who had hurt Yugi._

_It was _him.

_"Why?" Yami asked weakly, feeling dizziness spit in his face._

_/_Those bastards deserved what was coming to them for making you angry and for hurting your precious little one. I could not let that slide./

_"You killed so many innocent people! Women! Children! And you hurt Yugi the first time you saw him! How can you possibly-!"_

_/_You're saying you didn't want me to kill the Council? You saw for yourself. They only wanted to use you- to use _me _as a weapon. They subjected you to countless taunts to try and get me to surface. They tried to kill you. They almost killed your lover-/

_"Do not bring Yugi into this! You tortured him for your own pleasure! And he's not my lover!" Yami sat up, anger and adrenaline giving him new strength. At the same time, he wished that Yugi _was _his lover, but he didn't want to think about that right then. _

_/_I didn't know of his importance to you at the time./

_"That's not the point! You used my body to kill my own kind! To hurt Yugi!"_

_/_They deserved it!/

_"YUGI DESERVERED IT!?"_

_/_No, I meant those bastards at the Council. They all deserved to die./

_"Did those young vampires have to die? How about those children? Did they deserve to die?"_

_/_…/

_Yami sighed, anger subsiding and being replaced with fear. Fear, how it blazed, almost as powerful as his anger._

_"Was Yugi alright when you left him?"_

_All Yami could remember was Yugi waking up after he had read his last poem. He had a vague memory of Yugi falling asleep, but he wasn't sure. _

/Yeah, he was fine./

_Yami sighed in relief. At least Yugi was alright. _

_"You didn't hurt him, did you?"_

_/_No, of course not./

_Yami stood as his strength was beginning to return to him. He looked back through the trees and down the long, lifeless road. Silence and shadows that filtered dappled through the trees stared him straight back, challenging him to return._

_Yami turned around and sprinted down the road._

_He needed to get to Yugi._

_Every step he took slapped reality into his face. He was a murderer; he was a killer._

_/_No, that's me./

"_Shut up."_

_Horror continued to seep through him. And when he did see his little one, on his knees in the middle of the road, the truth came down on him with the force of a death sentence. Tears. Blood. Tears. Love. Tears._

_Death._

Yami jolted awake, the nightmare clinging to him like a memory. Only, he knew that it _was _a memory, but that only made it worse. Cold sweat ran down his arms and across his chest, where he felt warmth sink into him. Looking down, he smiled warmly at the sight.

Yugi was nuzzled up against his cold chest, arms firmly wrapped around his waist. Mumbling in his sleep, his little one hugged him tighter, as if sensing his distress.

Yami hugged him back, feeling joy leap through his heart. Yugi loved him.

The thought made him want to leap into the air and race around the world as fast as he could. Yugi loved him.

Currently, they were huddled underneath a huge maple tree, nestled in leaves and warmth. Luckily, it had stopped raining, and the canopy of leaves hade kept that particular spot comfortably dry. The perfect place for a nap.

Staring down lovingly at his little one's adorable form, Yami had to restrain a growl when his crimson gaze caught sight of his scars and his bandages.

/_We should find the little one's father so I can kill him./_

Yami stiffened.

"What are you doing?" Yami hissed, pure hatred sharpening his voice.

Yugi stirred once more. Yami hugged him tightly as if too protect him.

_/Nice to hear from you too, mister. You seem to be forgetting that I'm a part of you./ _

"Can't you just leave me alone!" Yami spat. This time, however, big owlish amethyst eyes blinked up at him.

/_You should tell him about me Yami. You know you should./ _

Yami shook his head. Yugi, face tilted in confusion, asked a question in his eyes about Yami's strange behavior.

Yami sighed.

"It's him." He murmured.

"Who?" Yugi asked, confused. Yami sucked in a breath.

"The other me."

Yugi's eyes widened.

"You can talk to him?" he said slowly. Yami blinked. His little one really was perceptive.

"Yes, but only just recently." Yugi nodded, resting his chin on his chest after a moment of thought.

"Does he have a name?"

Again, Yami blinked, surprised.

/_I really do love that kid…/ _

Yami scowled.

"Oh shut up." He threatened, voice dripping with venom.

Yugi looked away, hurt and sadness glimmering in his eyes. He began to sit up, pulling away from Yami, thinking that he had been talking to him.

"I-I'm s-sorry. I d-didn't know-"

Yami's eyes widened as he realized what happened. He pulled Yugi into a tight embrace

"No! Don't be sorry. I'm the one who's sorry. I was just talking to him, that's all."

After a moment of Yugi forgiving Yami and Yami growling at his other self, Yui once again curled up on Yami's chest.

"So, does he have a name?"

"Yes, it's Atem."

_/I'm surprised you remembered. And you can talk to me mentally by the way, just so you don't make the little one sad again./_

Yami harrumphed.

/Like this?/

/_See, even someone as thick headed as you could figure it out./_

/Shut up./

"Atem…hmmm…"

Yami's attention snapped back to Yugi. Staring intently at his aibou's thoughtful face, he resisted the urge to flip him over and kiss him senseless. His precious little one was so kind and excepting. The fact that he still loved Yami despite knowing what he could do still shocked him like a poison arrow to the gut.

"Can I talk to him?"

Yami sliced Yugi's inquiring look with one of pure fright and horror.

"Why would you want to do that?! To do that, he'd have to be in control! He could hurt you! _I _could hurt you!"

Yugi nodded, understanding Yami's concern.

"Sorry Yami, it's just I want to make sure he's not hurting you or anything…"

Yami's crimson eyes doubled in size. Yugi was worried about _him. _A small smile tugged at his lips, and his heart bloomed.

_/I would never hurt you. The little one should not worry./ _

Yami nodded, as if to reassure both himself and Atem.

/_You know, he could just ask you questions and I relay my answers to you./ _

Yami bit his lip. As much as he wanted to complete turn down the idea, Yugi's concerned violet eyes erased any negative responses from his vocabulary.

"Yugi, you can ask your questions. I'll relay Atem's answer." Yami offered tentatively.

Yugi's face light up like a million suns peeking out from an overcast sky. Yami smiled at the sight.

Shifting slightly, Yugi repositioned himself so that he could stare straight into Yami's scarlet eyes. Lifting a finger, Yugi pinned Yami down with a trusting glare.

"Please repeat to me _exactly _what he says to you, okay? If you don't, I'll get the wrong idea about his character and all of this will be for nothing. Don't leave anything out, alright?"

Yami nodded.

/Don't say something obscene./

/_Don't worry, I won't. /_

Yugi stared into Yami's burgundy eyes, as if searching for something.

"What's your favorite color?"

Yami blinked.

/_Red, of course./_

Yami said just that, sticking to his promise. Throughout the entire interrogation, Yugi's facial expression didn't change. It remained hard and determined.

"What's your favorite animal?"

"Human. They're fun to play with."

"How old are you?"

"…I'm not sure. I suppose I am as old as Yami is, but the first time I fully became aware of my existence was when Yami got really mad with his parents when he was five. I came out, sort to speak, but I didn't hurt anyone."

"Do you hurt Yami when you take control?"

"No. I've never hurt Yami."

"Does that include mentally?"

Yami paused, staring at his aibou. Yugi stared at him, begging with his eyes to just simply answer the question.

"That I cannot vouch for, but I try to protect him."

"Protect him?"

"If he is extremely mad or sad, there must be a good reason why. I don't want Yami to be either of these things, so I try and get rid of whatever is bothering him."

Yami seemed extremely surprised at this, and he shivered underneath Yugi. Yugi, perceptive as always, hugged him close.

"I want to protect Yami too."

Yami's eyes widened, and he weakly returned the embrace.

"Yugi…" he whispered.

/_You picked a good one./_

/Yeah…yeah I did…I didn't know you were worried about me…/

/_Well…sometimes I was not exactly sure what your mad or sad about, and I would simply attack the nearest thing. That's why I hurt Yugi the first time we met…I'm sorry. It must have been awful having to wake up and find people you care about hurt…I'm sorry./_

Yami was so flabbergasted, he was speechless. He merely hugged Yugi tighter, finding comfort and reassurance in his warmth.

/Thank you./

/_What for? What could I have possibly done that's worth thanking for?/_

_/_You were sorry./

Silence.

Yugi suddenly sat up a little bit more and cupped Yami's face in his small hands.

"Well, this Atem can't be that bad if he wants to help you." He whispered as he leaned in and kissed Yami. They both moaned into the kiss.

Breaking apart, Yami was wearing a mischievous smirk.

"You know, I'm extremely close to making you mine _completely._"

/_That _would _be nice. We can have a three way!/_

_/_Shut up./

Yugi blushed adorably. Yami sighed in content, and then scooped his little one into his arms as he stood up from their special spot underneath the monumental tree.

"Let's get going, little one, before we waste away the morning."

"Put me down!"

"But I like holding you in my arms!" Yami whined. Yugi pouted, a small dusting of pink warming his cheeks, making Yami chuckle.

"I can walk!"

"You're injured."

"…I'm getting better!"

"You know, you're adorable when you argue."

Yugi blushed, before gasping.

"Yami, you aren't as cold as before."

Yami blinked surprised. He wasn't as cold as before?

"Actually, now that I think about it, you weren't cold when I was sleeping next to you this morning."

"You call that sleeping next to me?! You were on top of me?"

"What? You wish I hadn't been? You certainly act that way."

"Aibou, I would love to wake up with you on my chest every morning for the rest of my life."

Yugi smiled and rested his head against his shoulder.

"Still, it's weird that you aren't cold anymore. Maybe I've just gotten used to being so freezing all the time…do you think it has anything to do with Atem?"

/_Damn it!/_

_/_What? You did this?/

/_The little one is almost too perceptive for his own good./_

_/_So you _do _have something to do with it!/

/_All I did was merely contain the coldness inside of myself. If I take control, our body will be cold once more./_

_/_…thank you./

/_I figured the little one would prefer the warmth./_

_/_I appreciate it./

After explaining the situation to Yugi, Yugi nuzzled his neck as Yami continued to walk.

"Tell Atem thank you, but I would love you Yami whether you were freezing cold or burning hot."

"I'm not already hot?"

"Just tell him thank you already!"

/_I heard him. Tell him you're welcome. The little one really is a keeper./_

_/_I know./

"He says you're welcome."

Yugi hummed in content, and Yami sped up. They didn't exactly have a destination in mind.

They just wanted to be with each other.

...thank you! Alright, so how do you guys like Atem? Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

Hi guys! Thanks for all the reviews thus far! The support is awesome! I would like to address several topics before I begin this chapter:

1. I have absolutely no idea if I'm going to make this mobiumshipping as well as puzzleshipping. The answer is probably no. In fact, it is no. Sorry folks.

2. If you absolutely hate my guts at the end of this chapter, please do not kill me. You won't know what happens next if you kill me. So no flames. Please. No killing. I want to live.

3. Atem is Yami's "other me", sort of like Yami was Yugi's in the actual anime. Just to clear that up, because apparently there was confusion.

Alright, now that that's out of the way, I hope you enjoy the chapter! Please review!

Chapter 8

Heart, we will forget him, You and I, tonight!

You must forget the warmth he gave, I will forget the light.

When you have done pray tell me, Then I, my thoughts, will dim. Haste! 'lest while you're lagging

I may remember him!"

- 'Heart, We Will Forget Him!' by Emily Dickinson

Yami's eyes snapped to his right, searching the darkness.

Mumbling slightly, Yugi fisted a hand in his shirt. Yami had been carrying him for two straight days. Fast asleep, the little one had been living off nothing but berries and nuts in their trek through boundless forest. Despite Yami's protests, Yugi insisted that he take blood from him instead of going off to hunt. However, the blood loss wore Yugi quickly.

Yami didn't mind. He loved carrying his aibou.

/_There is someone else here./_

_/_I know./

/_Do you want me to take control? I can fight better than you./_

_/_No! I can handle this./

Gently, Yami nudged Yugi awake, smiling a small smile at the cute expression his aibou pulled.

Looking up, fangs flashing in the moonlight, Yami's crimson eyes scanned the shadows as he walked.

The rustle of the wind through the trees softly murmured in Yami's ear. He was no fool. Someone was following them.

"W-what is it Yami?" Yugi mumbled, still groggy from sleep.

"Shh, little one. We are not alone." Yami whispered back.

"About time."

Yami whirled around, hugging Yugi close to his body. Yugi's amethyst eyes widened in shock as all traces of sleep left him.

There, down the road they had been following, stood a man. His dark form was dappled in moonlight, but Yugi could clearly see his icy blue eyes and sharp features. He recognized that face. He'd recognize it anywhere.

Yugi whimpered, fear swallowing him.

The vampire smirk, canines glistening.

"Remember me, little human." The vampire chuckled coldly. Yugi shrunk inside Yami's arms.

Yami's crimson eyes narrowed in fury.

"You were the one the hurt Yugi!" He growled, rage spitting from his voice.

"On orders from the Council, I would like to add. But their gone now, thanks to you."

Icy eyes flashed, and Yugi caught sight of a large bow on his back.

"You're the one that tried to shoot us, aren't you!" Yugi called out bravely. Yami's grip on him tightened to the point it was almost painful, but Yugi ignored it.

The vampire nodded.

"My name is Seto."

Yami seethed, trembling ever so slightly.

/_Give me control! I want to rip this guy apart! I want to hear him scream, hear him beg for what he did to little one!/_

_/_…That makes two of us./

"Seto, are you hurt?"

Yugi's soft voice snapped the taught atmosphere like snipping thread. Slipping out of Yami's death hold, much to his shock, Yugi approached the wide eyed vampire before him.

"You're bleeding."

Seto took a step back, revealing the glinting of blood running down his right leg. Yugi continued to limp towards him, his wounds causing him to stagger.

"What do you care human?! Get away!" Seto continued to back up, fear glinting in his eyes at the persistent approach of Yugi, who looked almost like a zombie as he stumbled forward.

/_What is the little one doing?! Yami, MOVE! PROTECT HIM!/_

/Wait, look at Seto. He is terrified of him./

Seto continued to retreat, and Yugi advanced wobbly. His body was too weak however, and soon, Yugi collapsed.

"Yugi!" Yami screamed, by his side in a flash. Amethyst blinked up at him, a weak smile accompanying.

"It's alright Yami…I'm fine…This is the one who made me like this…anyway…"

Yugi tried to stand up, but his arms gave out on him.

"He…_he did this to you!" _

Yugi gasped, raising his head from out of the dust. Yami's face was shrouded in the shadow of the night. Seto took another step back.

"Yami…don't go…" Yugi whispered, pain from his old injuries flaring.

Yami gasped, before regaining control.

/Don't. Do. That. Ever. Again./

/_…help him_/

Scooping Yugi back up into his arms, Yami glared death at Seto, who currently looked scared half out of his wits.

"What do you want?"

Seto's icy eyes focused, as if coming out of a trance. Regaining his composure, he stood taller, swinging his long cloak to cover his wounded leg.

"We are the last vampires. _You _killed them all."

Yami remained silent, staring.

"So?"

Yugi blinked wide amethyst eyes.

"Do you want to travel with us?" he whispered softly, but as clearly as the morning sun.

Yami's crimson eyes widened at both the suggestion and the hesitant nod that accompanied it.

"Well, too bad! I'm never letting you hurt Yugi again!"

Seto sighed.

"I thought as much…"

Yami made a point of ignoring the pleading stare he was getting from Yugi, because if he looked into those eyes he knew he would have to let Seto stay, and that was something he could not allow.

He watched warily as Seto walked down the path, limping slightly. The moonlight seemed to miss him, shrouding him in shadow. Yami harrumphed as he was lost from view.

/_You should have let me kill him_/

/Shut up! You almost took control of my body without asking!/

_/I have to ask?/_

/YES!/

Sighing, Yami finally looked down at his little one. Yugi was looking off where Seto had disappeared.

"I hope he's okay." He whimpered before closing his eyes. He wasn't asleep, just exhausted.

Smiling at the sight, Yami followed Seto into the darkness. The silence was suffocating. It made Yami uneasy. He focused on his aibou's steady breathing. That comforted him.

"Do you really think I'd leave that easily without a fight?"

Yami stiffened, but not before he saw an arrow hurtling towards him. Amethyst snapped open. Arms embraced Yami, shielding him…

And then the thwack of arrow into flesh made Yami's blood run cold.

He felt no pain, but he felt blood running down his hands. Looking down with shaking crimson eyes, the small smile of his young one stared back at him. Than the arrow.

It jutted from his little ones back like a horn, blood dripping down the long black shaft.

No.

"Hey Yami…it's alright…" Yugi managed to murmur.

Suddenly, he saw something gleam in Yami's red eyes. Something dark. Something Yugi was afraid of.

He shrieked in pain as the arrow was pulled brutally from his back, but that was alright. It needed to be removed. Everything was slowly getting black, but Yugi held onto consciousness, embracing pain.

He did not like this feeling.

Yami was bandaging him, clutching him like a death grip. Where was Seto? Had Yugi missed something?

It was then that he saw him, facing up, eyes glazed. Blood.

Yugi shut his eyes to the gruesome sight.

"Yami…"

"Shhh, little one. Everything's alright now."

But no, everything was not alright. Yugi couldn't…

"Go away."

Yugi was faceless when he said those words. His voice monotone. His heart, somewhere searching for the light in the darkness.

Yami stopped his movements, stiffening.

"Yugi-"

"Yami."

Silence ate them.

Yugi shattered. A tear slide from his cheek. Worry frowned in him. Blackness was approaching, he could feel it.

"Are…are you alright?"

"Of course I am Yugi! And…and you're…you're going to be alright too. You have to be."

Yugi did not like this feeling.

"Please go. Please go Yami."

"No! I won't leave you, not like this!"

"Go away Yami."

Yugi sensed that there was someone else here. They were not alone. He knew this feeling. He knew who it was.

And if it was the last thing he did, he would not let Yami get hurt by _him. _

Thinking fast, Yugi thought of all the things he could say to Yami to get him to go away. They were all things he did mean. They were all things he absolutely hated to say.

"Yugi-"

"I hate you."

The air was still.

"Y-you what?"

Yugi closed his eyes so that Yami could not see how much his heart was breaking with saying these words. Could not see that he didn't mean them. Could not see that he cared with every particle of his being.

"I hate you. Go away. I don't want to see you."

Silence. Yugi clenched his eyes tighter, pain searing him.

"Go."

He heard Yami get up, heard him turn, and heard him leave.

Yugi broke down into sobs. He was doing this for Yami. For Yami…

Yami was gone.

It had been only a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity. Like a lifetime.

Yugi wanted to die.

"Well, look here. If it's not my son. How are you doing my boy?"

Yugi's amethyst eyes snapped open and met slick green ones. So, he had been right. Yugi sighed in relief. Yami was safe.

A kick to the stomach brought him out of it.

Fear swallowed him.

"Worthless son, I've been looking for months for you, and now you decide to show your face. Tracking this vampire had been a good idea after all. Even though he's dead, I still get to have some fun."

Yugi glanced over at the lifeless form of Seto. He knew what "have some fun" meant only too well.

At least Yami was safe.

And then the pain began anew.

...I am the Queen of Cliffhangers! Muhahahahaha! Review if you like, and if you don't like it, review anyway! Thanks!


	9. Chapter 9

Alright folks, I'm going to make this so black and white that if ANYBODY pms me about this again, I'm going to explode!

Ok, THIS IS A PUZZLESHIPPING STORY. Yugi + Yami = Awesomeness

THIS IS NOT A MOBIUMSHIPPING STORY.

Ok? Good. I hope you enjoy this super short chapter that will make all of you want to kill me. Seriously, this thing is intense. Please review!

Chapter 9

"Tell me not, in mournful numbers,

Life is but an empty dream!"

- 'Psalm of Life' by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Yami's heart was crumbling.

He could feel it shredding, losing all meaning. All that trust, shattered.

Yugi's words haunted him.

_Go away Yami._

_I hate you._

_I never want to see you again._

_Go away._

They burned.

They seared.

They branded.

Playing Yugi's voice over and over in his mind, he felt weak. Walking, searching, waiting in the darkness, he wandered aimlessly.

Yugi.

/_The little one betrayed us./_

Yami didn't answer.

/_He will pay the next time I see him./_

But the more that Yami thought about it, the more it didn't make sense. Yugi couldn't just hate him so fast, so quickly, so swift.

He had just taken an arrow for him! He had just saved his life! There was no way that Yugi hated him.

But then why would Yugi say that to him?

Maybe he did hate him.

Yami felt worthless.

His aibou hadn't even looked at him when he broke his heart. Hadn't seen the hurt snap like broken rope in Yami's eyes.

Why?

Yami felt the tears streaming down his cheeks, but he did not care for them. He looked down at his hands, bathed in moonlight. They were crusted with blood from before, and splashes of fresh blood stood like small pools on his pale skin. That was Yugi's. Yugi's blood.

The silence of the night was suddenly cut off by a gut-wrenching shriek. Yami froze. The sound was almost not even human, it was so tormented. In it held so much pain that Yami's heart could relate. So much agony. So much anguish.

It last for several more seconds, before being brutally cut short. Yami was petrified.

That scream…it came from the direction he had left Yugi.

No.

Yami was about to leap into action when Atem spoke.

/_Yugi hates you, remember? Why would you go to him? It could be a trap. He said those hurtful words to you, he drove you away. He doesn't want you there._/

Yami hesitated. It was then that realization struck him like a hammer blow.

Yugi had driven him away.

_Because he didn't want him to be there. _

Yami raced through the trees, faster than the wind. When the shadows parted and he came to where he had left Yugi, his heart froze.

There was Yugi, bound painfully tight to a tree. Blood was everywhere, and his eyes were glazed in agony. His clothes discarded to the side.

Blood.

Yami stared.

A man.

He stood in front of Yugi, a malicious grin slicing his face. A whip in one hand, a jagged dagger in the other, he stood. A chuckle escaped his lips which were red with blood. He was redoing his buckle, Yami faintly registered.

Blood.

Yugi's eyes focused for a moment, widening slightly.

"Ya…mi…" he murmured weakly, his voice so soft that Yami barely heard him over the rage boiling in his soul.

Yugi didn't hate him. He had wanted to protect him. He had somehow known that this man had been coming, and had driven Yami off so that he wouldn't have to go through this.

Yami almost staggered.

Hatred.

Anger.

Blood.

The man fixed slimy jade eyes on him, the smirk not leaving his face.

"So, a vampire…" he snickered, approaching, his knife glinting in the faint moonlight.

"Yami…get..away…" Yugi whimpered. The man growled, lifting his whip and sweeping it down across the Yugi's cheek with a sickening crack.

Yami growled, deep and low.

"So Yugi, you know this vampire? Well, that will only make him more enjoyable to destroy. You see, I'm a vampire hunter now, Yugi."

Yami's eyes widened as he put two and two together. This…was Yugi's father?

In a moment, Yugi was screaming, begging for his father to stop walking, to not hurt Yami. Yami's eyes widened further at the pleas, so heart broken, so desperate.

"Please father, don't hurt him! Don't hurt Yami! Hurt me instead! Take me! Not him! Not Yami!"

Yami recognized the pleas. They were…just like…Yugi's nightmare.

This was a nightmare.

In a second, Yami used his speed. He was behind the man in a second. Anger controlled him.

/_Finish him._/

He did it swiftly. Yugi's father fell, limp, lifeless. Yami snorted in disgust, before whirling around to Yugi.

He was deathly quiet, deathly still. The binds holding him were gone in a moment with a slash from Yami's claws. He fell forward, but Yami caught him and leaned him up against the tree trunk once more, desperately ignoring the blood staining the brown bark.

"Yugi…"

His eyes had closed. His breathing was so weak. Yami held him, desperately hoping for him to heal. To be alright again.

He wanted Yugi back again.

Yami could hear Yugi's fighting heartbeat.

_Thump. _

Why had he been so foolish! Of course Yugi hadn't meant what he said. Yami should have had more faith in him.

_Thump._

He had saved his life now, more than once. He had endured so much pain to save him, protect him. _So much pain. _For him. All for him. How could he be so stupid?

_Thump._

The one person who cared about you, the one person who didn't run away at the sight of you, and you leave him alone to bear you pain for him. Yami was more disgusted with himself than he ever thought possible.

_Thump._

No.

_Thump._

NO.

_Thump._

NO!

_Thump._

Yami captured Yugi's lips in a passionate kiss, breathing for him. Holding him.

His little one had been so hurt. So hurt.

"Don't go." Yami whispered.

"Don't leave." Yami whimpered.

"No." Yami breathed.

Amethyst eyes fluttered, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Bye Yami."

_Thump._

Silence.

Yami's own heart froze. Yugi couldn't leave him. No.

He couldn't.

/_Bite him Yami. You can save him if you turn him._/

/He can't be gone! This is all my fault!/

/_Turn him you fool!_/

/No…/

Yami felt darkness take him then. Felt it eat him alive. It swallowed him in it's gaping maw and he felt his body move without his permission.

Yugi was gone…

A spark of light. A star in the night. Hope.

Yami blinked crimson eyes wide. Blood dripped from his fangs. Yugi's blood.

What had he done?

...please review!


	10. Chapter 10

Hey! Thanks for all the support! Please keep reviewing! I won't be able to update for the next few days, but I will during the weekend! I hope you like this chapter, becuase no, I'm not killing Yugi. That would ruin all of the fun! ;) Please review!

Chapter 10

"Sometime at Eve when the tide is low

I shall slip my moorings and sail away

With no response to a friendly hail

In the silent hush of the twilight pale

When the night stoops down to embrace the day

And the voices call the water's flow"

- 'The Unknown Shore' by Elizabeth Clark Hardy

Yugi's eyes fluttered open.

The first thing that he noticed was that it was dark. It was so _very _dark. It made him scared. It made him want to curl up and hide. It made him want Yami to be with him.

Yami.

Was he alright?

Yami.

Was he okay?

His father hadn't gotten to him, had he?

The image of his father torturing Yami, whipping him, beating him, cutting him, and…and….

Yugi screamed.

No.

Tears ran down his face in the darkness, all alone. He did not like this darkness. No, he did not like it at all.

He felt cold.

At first, it started out as a numbness that spread across his body, starting from his neck. It felt like liquid silver, as cold as ice, as cold as death.

Soon, Yugi was shivering from fright and the lack of heat. Then, just as quickly as it came, the coldness left him, leaving him feeling empty. No, he did not feel warm. He felt empty.

Empty of life. Empty of meaning. Empty of emotion.

Just empty.

Yugi sobbed, almost as if his darkness shrouded body was programmed to cry. He could not increase his crying, but he could not stop it. So he let the tears flow, he let his body wrack.

Yugi blinked, trying to see in the darkness, as if he could find Yami's face somewhere hiding in the shadows. But no, all that he found was black.

Black.

Black.

Black.

Red.

Red?

Yes, red.

Crimson, burgundy, scarlet, ruby, garnet, red.

Yugi blinked.

Blood?

Yes, blood.

His own?

Yes, his own.

Yugi took in a deep breath, trying to calm his racing nerves. Trying to calm his racing heartbeat that pounded in his ears.

And that's when he heard his name.

At first, he knew someone was talking, but he couldn't hear over his horribly loud heart. He hear desperation, pleading, _begging _in that voice, and it made him want to comfort whoever was saying whatever they were saying, for Yugi couldn't quite make out their words.

Moments later, he realized it was someone saying his name.

Yugi, Yugi, Yugi, over and over.

Yugi.

Yugi choked back his sobs, managing to halt them so he could hear the voice better. His heartbeat shrank, until it stilled altogether, and all Yugi could here was the steady begging of his voice like some sort of chant.

He blinked.

Then it came.

Blinding light.

He almost cried out, but he bit his tongue. He tasted the tangy, metallic flavor of blood. This confused him. He had not bitten that hard. Apparently he had. Shaking his head, Yugi's amethyst eyes adjusted to the light.

He was met with crimson.

Crimson, burgundy, scarlet, ruby, garnet, red.

Blood?

No, not blood. Eyes.

"Yami?" Yugi croaked, voice hoarse.

"Yes little one, I'm here. It's okay my aibou."

That deep baritone soothed Yugi into complete relaxation. Worries were gone, lost somewhere in his mind. But when they did return, they were like lightening.

"My…father! Seto! Are you-!"

"I'm fine. Your father is dead."

Yugi feels he should be relieved, but all he feels is empty.

"Yami?"

"Yes?"

"What's…wrong with me?"

Strong arms were holding him, he noticed. Blinking, Yugi looked at their surroundings. They were in a forest, and it was the dawn of another morning barely seen peeking through the trees. Yugi felt dizzy.

"You're a vampire now Yugi."

Yugi nodded, as if he had guessed that before and that was the only possible answer to his question. Yes, he was a vampire, of course. That explains everything….

"WAIT, WHAT?!" Yugi was suddenly completely awake, completely able and aware.

His senses burst with nerves, standing up and spiked. His eyes, sharp. His every movement, swift and strong. Even his breathing seemed to have been heightened. It made him feel…_alive. _

Yami looked up at him, his expression pulled down in a kaleidoscope of emotions. Yugi stared.

"You're a vampire Yugi."

Yugi blinked, before falling to the ground with a heavy thud. His once raging senses dulled, calming down to a hazy blur of disbelief. He…was a vampire?

"But…why?" Yugi asked, confusion edging his voice. His vision spun, but the flickering of several blinks cleared it once more.

Yami's voice boiled with regret.

"I…Atem took control…you were dying! The only way to save you was…to turn you but I couldn't…Atem had to…I didn't want to turn you…into a…a _monster_…"

Yugi watched as tears rolled down Yami's cheeks. He couldn't bear to see Yami cry. He just couldn't bear it!

Crawling into Yami's lap, he hugged him close. If Yami hadn't been cold before, he was burning now. It was probably because Yugi was equally as cold as he was.

Yami sighed into the embrace, trying to regain composure, and failing miserably.

"I understand." Yugi whispered. Yami stiffened.

And so they stayed there, embracing, wishing that the world would fade away into an oblivion of nothingness.

Yami started.

It began with a few nips to Yugi's neck, around the two holes he was sporting, and soon he was sucking leisurely on one spot. Yugi moaned, exhaustion and happiness making his eyes drop.

Yami traveled up to his jawline, making a line of kisses up to his chin. Caught in each other's gaze, their lips met.

Yugi was so tired. He curled up further into Yami's lap as their kiss broke for air. Resting his head against Yami's shoulder, his eyes drooped. He was at peace.

Yami held him close.

/_At least he's alive._/

/Yeah/

/_…you idiot._/

/What?/

/_…nothing._/

Yami paused.

/What is it Atem?/

/_You almost let him die. If I hadn't stepped in-_/

/You turned him!/ Yami cut off, anger seething through his voice.

/_There was no other choice!_/

/It wasn't your-or my-decision to make!/

/_Than who's decision _was _it?!_/

/Yugi's, you idiot!/

Atem paused, as if reconsidering what he was going to say next.

/_At least we can still have that three way now._/

/Shut up before I find a way to murder you./

Silence enveloped Yami's mind once more. It was calming, being there with his Yugi in his arms, silence in his brain.

But no matter how he tried, he could not shake off that awful feeling of guilt.

What if a vampire hunter found him?

What if Yugi hated being a vampire?

What if Yugi didn't want to be with him anymore?

The last thought was the most frightening. By being a vampire, Yugi could literally stay with him for eternity, but that didn't mean anything if Yugi didn't want to. Yami should not have made that decision for him. _Atem _should not have made that decision for him.

Yami growled, deep and resonating. At moments like this, he truly hated himself.

He really did.

Yugi wrapped his arms firmly around his neck, silencing the growl. The reassuring touch made Yami feel calmer and peaceful, like a pool that is not broken by waves. After a while, Yugi's hands slipped and fell onto his chest. Yami stifled a chuckle. His little one was asleep.

Looking up, Yami saw a star glinting through the trees. The fading of the night and the arrival of the morning tinted it red, like a crimson eye burning with anger as the night faded away.

Strangely, the star made him smile.

...alright! Yugi's alive! Please review and tell me what you think. Like? Dislike? Love? Hate? Thank you!


	11. Chapter 11

Hi guys! I'm back earlier than I thought I would be! I'm sorry if you thought my last chapter was rushed, but the truth is it's so that this chapter could be written and maybe a slightly bit more realistic. If you have any objections or doubts, just review and I can see what I can do. Thank you for all the input! I hope you like it!

Chapter 11

"All precious things, discoer'd late

To those that seek them issue forth

For love in sequel works with fate

And draws the veil from hidden worth "

- 'The Arrival' by Alfired Lord Tennyson

Yugi glanced to his left, to his right, then left again.

It was evening, and the sun was setting fast like a splatter of fresh blood on the horizon in the distance. Yugi stared out at the beautiful landscape. A thin road stretched out on the ridge of the stone littered mountain back that they followed. The edge of the forest just behind him only made the change in landscape more of a slap of reality than it already would have been. They were far from his home, and nothing was before them except for rock and stone.

Blinking, he looked up into the tired face of Yami. Taking a moment, Yugi looked at him, really looked at him. His crimson eyes seemed to lack that cocky glint that Yugi had grown so used to. His spikey hair that so resembled his own seemed to shadow his face instead of frame it. Fatigue dragged at his confident smirk and weighed his eyelids.

After a couple more blinks, he finally realized that Yami was carrying him again. He rather liked being carried by Yami, but another glance at his face made Yugi squirm out of his grip.

Yami blinked, just now realizing that Yugi was awake. Yugi grabbed Yami's hand, smiling up at him. Yami blinked, confusion making its way into his eyes.

"You seemed tired." Yugi explained, worry mixing with amusement in his amethyst eyes.

Yami smiled and allowed himself to be tugged along like a child.

"How was your nap?"

"Well, it was nice…I had this really weird dream that you had turned me into a vampire! It happened so fast! (A/N: yeah, so fast that everybody thought that it was rushed…)"

Yami gasped, shock gnawing on his eyes.

/_The little one thinks that it was a dream?_/

/Apparently…how do I tell him that it wasn't?/

/…_I don't know._/

Yugi looked away for a moment, the evening shadows forbidding the eye from gazing upon his expression.

"But…you know…if you _did _turn me into a vampire, I wouldn't mind. I don't know about the whole drinking blood thing, but if it means I get to stay with you, I'd be happy!"

Yugi smiled back at Yami. Suddenly Yami froze, and Yugi looked back in curiosity as his lover's hand slipped out of his own.

"Yami?"

The setting sun cast his already crimson eyes into a tint of scarlet. Yugi couldn't help but gasp when he caught sight of the glimmering of tears on his cheeks like stars. They tumbled, slowly, plunging down to his chin and off, falling, falling, falling like dreams onto the stone pathway below.

Yugi's amethyst eyes snapped taught.

"It wasn't a dream, was it?"

Yami didn't have the heart to reply.

At first, Yugi thought he was going to run. His muscles tensed up like a snake about to strike, and his breathing constricted. Heart pounding, he slowly closed his eyes, allowing darkness to replace the cracking image of Yami for just a moment.

Deep breathe. In. Out.

He.

Was.

A.

Vampire.

Deep breathe. In. Out.

Well.

That was a surprise.

But at the same time it wasn't, almost as if deep in his heart Yugi had known. As if this big tugging in his gut had enough glory to flash in his face that indeed, yes, he had become a monster. He had become a bloodsucker, a vampire. A being that is profoundly _not _human. No. _Not _human in the least.

Next, a million questions blasted through him with such intensity that it made him wince.

How was Yami going to feed now? Could Yugi still feed him with his blood? Would Yugi have to drink blood too? Was Yugi cold now? Would he get fangs? Would he get super powers? What would happen to them both now? Where were they even headed? Would they just randomly roam the countryside? Was Yami alright with this? Was Yami okay knowing that he had turned him into a vampire? What if he was so guilty, he did something drastic? What would he do without Yami?

Deep breathe. In. Out.

After the rapid fire questions came the reality of their answers.

What if Yami _wasn't _alright with Yugi being a vampire? What if he didn't want to be around him anymore because he wasn't human and he couldn't feed off him? Did his humanity even mean anything to him?

What if Yami left him?

Yugi shook off the feeling. Even _if _Yami left him, it would be of his free choice. Yugi would not force Yami to do anything he did not want to do. If that meant breaking his heart into a thousand pieces, then so be it.

The next thought that slashed him made him pause.

Hadn't he just said that he would be fine if this happened? He had just _promised._ Promised to stay by Yami's side, in his own way. Promised to suck up his puny concern and take it like the friend he was. Promised to make it work, no matter what.

And Yugi never broke his promises.

Not even when he had greeted his father's blade with willing eyes begging for death, he had not broken his promises. He had not even broken his promises when he had faced down the vampires in his ramshackle house. He had not even broken his promises when death laughed outright in his face and asked him to plead for mercy.

He still loved Yami, and that was a promise he would _never _break. _Ever. _

Yugi opened his eyes.

Yami was looking at him intently, apparently in the middle of studying his expression. Yugi watched him blink slowly as he seemed to find something there.

Yugi watched him turn around.

He even watched him walk away.

Yes, he watched as Yami strode away into the forest.

He watched him retreat back into the shadows, leaving Yugi framed in the blood red sunlight, tears of his own tracing his face.

So, this is what dying actually felt like.

The pain stabbed him, clawing like a wild beast amidst the terror of a death struggle. His knees buckled, and he landed, hard, on the stones.

Cold.

So Yami didn't want to be with him. Didn't want to see him. Didn't want to know he existed.

Yugi could not describe the anguish. All of his trust he had laid onto one single person, and they had scorched it to a crisp. He was a moth, attracted to the light of this hope, and now he was burned. Dead. Gone. Lost.

"DAMN IT!" Yugi screeched, driving his fist into the pale rock below him. Blood splattered from impact. Yugi did not care.

Yugi fell onto his chest before he knew it. His amethyst eyes void of all thought, all emotion, all light.

A soft breeze whistled across the mountain top. Yugi heard muttering.

His ears perked, trying to hear the mumbling. After a while, he realized that it was his own, and that he listened to himself. The words…they were true, painfully true. They were pushing him…pushing him beyond his limit. To a point where there was no turning back. To a point where he was no longer Yugi.

"Yami hates you. He thinks you are weak. He tried to love you, but all you did was hold him back. And then, he gives you a chance to be strong. What do you do? You throw it away. You're weak even when you're supposed to be strong. You idiot, how could someone like you who's so worthless ever think to be loved by someone as strong and perfect as Yami? Fool, you should go die. That way, nobody will have to worry about your sorry life ever again. End this pain. End it fast. End it for Yami. Yami hates you."

Yugi closed his eyes, blocked out the voices, clamped his mouth shut. But not before the last sentence slipped by once more, as if to prove itself right.

"Yami hates me."

The silence born by the wind was murdering him. The turmoil in his heart was torture. Why wouldn't it end?

"I don't hate you."

Dead amethyst eyes looked up from the stone and locked onto crimson ones.

Yami gasped.

/_Yami…the little one…his eyes! They're…they're…!_/

Yugi's eyes were shattered.

"Yugi."

His eyes. They were mere holes now, just mere holes.

"Aibou!"

He searched and searched the amethyst, only finding coldness, darkness, despair.

"Little one!"

Violet and sorrow wrote an obituary in the pits of hell. Pure pain. Pure, utter, twisted, and stunningly sharp pain.

"YUGI!"

Yugi vaguely took in the sight of Yami in tears and on his knees next to him. He didn't want that. Raising a shaky hand to his lover, he entwined their fingers together.

"Yugi. Please tell me you don't actually believe everything I heard you say. None of it is true, my precious aibou. I love you so much. I just didn't know if you wanted to stay with me anymore once you found out that you were a vampire. I just-"

Yami was cut short by the gut wrenching sob that Yugi choked out.

"Yami!"

Doubling over, Yugi clutched his shoulders as pain wracked him. Agony shredded through him, ripping a scream from his throat. Yami clenched his fangs.

/_How could we have left him! If you hadn't heard the little one, you would have left him all by himself to face this pain alone! He loves you! Can't you see that?! He would do anything, _anything _in order to be with you and you left him on a small whim that perhaps he might not want to be with you anymore. How much more of an idiot could you be! He's willing to give up his life, everything he knows, everything he owns, HE WOULD HAVE ABANDONED EVERY FREAKING THING AND YOU LEFT HIM!_/

/…I know./

/_You really are a bastard, you know that? I wish I could beat you up right now and leave you half alive in the cold of a winter storm._/

/I wouldn't stop you if you tried./

Yami pulled him into a tight embrace, already knowing what was happening as Yugi shrieked. He swallowed away his own screams at the awful sounds of Yugi in pain, and he bit back his tears. His emotional state at the moment could wait as Yugi jerked in his arms, wincing with every tsunami of pain that rolled through his body. This was the worst part of becoming a vampire, and Yugi was going through it for him.

It was a little thing called blood lust.

...hahahaha! I bet you didn't see that coming! Blood lust, yeah! Please review!


	12. Chapter 12

Hey people! I KNOW IT'S BEEN FOREVER! I'm sorry for not updating sooner, but my life is an ever changing beast that snarls at me and claws at my ability to do what I want to. This will probably continue, so I'm sorry if my chapters take longer to update...thanks! Please review!

Chapter 12

"I turned silences and nights into words. What was unutterable, I wrote down. I made the whirling world stand still."

- 'A Season in Hell' By Arthur Rimbaud

Yugi was running.

Where was he running?

He didn't know. He just knew he was running.

Was he running from something?

He didn't know. He glanced over his shoulder. Everything was black except for his shadow, which stretched out behind him like dazzling white fire. Blinded by his shadow, he swung his head back around, blinking madly.

Stumbling on in the darkness, Yugi felt dizzy.

His head spun, ear splitting headache nailing axes into his skull. Heart pounding loud in his ears, his running slowed until he was walking.

He retained a purpose of moving forward. He must move as far away from whatever was behind him as possible. Staggering, he took shaky steps. But soon he was falling, falling down onto the cold, black floor.

Cold? Since when had it been cold?

Now that Yugi realized it, it was freezing! He shivered, his whole body icy. He could see his breath in front of him, but then he couldn't see anything at all. It was all black, all darkness.

He was cold. He was frozen. He was tired. He was scared. He was terrified! He…he was-

He was hungry.

Hungry?

Yugi's amethyst eyes were drooping. Black was replaced with black.

He smelled something. Something close. _Very _close.

It smelled sweet, delicious even. He couldn't help it. He leaned forward and bit down.

The feeling was good-no, it was amazing! Yugi's closed eyes clenched in ecstasy, and he moaned. He bit harder, letting this wonderful taste flow down his throat, and he growled when he felt it shift underneath him.

Than the pain came.

It was just like before, those so many other times when pain had ripped him. Nothing new, but god that thought really never helped. It was cruel, this world, to give him this amazing taste, and then give him hell inside his nervous system.

He screamed. Of course he screamed, it hurt _so _much. But in order to scream, he had to let go of that wonderful taste. Soon tears were streaming from his eyes, not only from pain, but from the loss.

His throat constricted, and he choked. Something slammed into his back, and he barfed something up. He didn't see what it was. He didn't want to see what it was.

"Yugi."

Yugi was dissolving into the darkness. He felt himself crumbling, slowly, and it made him terrified. He didn't know what to do.

"Yugi!"

Yugi thrashed, pain branding its name into his hunched form. He couldn't do this. Why was it always him that had to take this anguish? Why? Why him?

"YUGI!"

His eyes shot open. The darkness from before was gone, and Yugi had to blink in pain for a moment to adjust his amethyst eyes to the light. Coughing, Yugi snuggled into the warmth next to him, eyes closed once more.

"Yugi?"

Yugi already knew who it was. He knew that voice. Who else could it be?

"Yami…"

A silence floated by like a ghost. So this is the way his world ends, in Yami's arms.

Something cold and wet landed on his cheek. Opening his eyes, he gasped.

Yami was holding him tightly to his chest, but he had his eyes firmly shut. However, this did not prevent the tears from leaking out and spilling over his cheeks. The sight nearly broke Yugi in half.

"Yami?"

Yugi slowly raised his hand. For a moment he had to stop looking at Yami and then stare murderously at his hand, ordering it to move upward despite the lightening running up and down it.

When his hand finally made it to Yami's face, he proceeded to command his fingers to cup his lover's cheek. Yami needed to know that Yugi loved him right now, this was no time for a rebellion from his limbs.

Yugi's brow softened when he saw Yami open pained crimson eyes that asked their own questions.

"Yami, are you alright?"

Yami nearly broke down again, but Yugi silenced him with the excruciating effort of slowly brushing his tears from his flushed cheeks. His Yami wasn't going to cry on his watch. No sir.

Finally his hand couldn't take it anymore, and it fell, half dead onto his lap. Panting slightly from exhaustion, Yugi weakly smiled up at Yami who was blinking down at him.

"No Yugi, are _you _alright?"

Yugi blinked.

Was he alright?

His eyes were falling, and it was then that he saw it.

Yami's shoulder.

It was _red. _

Yugi's snapped wide, fear and horror making him shake. Because the more he saw it, the more he knew what it was. And the more he knew what it was, the more he wanted it.

And that was scarier than anything.

Quivering in fear from Yami's wound, he did not see Yami's small smile.

"Y-yami who d-d-did tha-t-t?"

Yami's expression turned serious.

"You did Yugi."

Yugi's eyes became wider, if that was possible. He…_he _had hurt Yami? He had done _that_?

It all clicked. That delicious taste…that must have been…

Yugi felt that he was going to be sick.

He was so disgusted with himself. He had hurt Yami! Yami had done so much for him and this is how he repays him.

"It's alright little one, it doesn't hurt."

Yugi looked up into Yami's face, and gasped.

There was a light, a glimmering- no a _darkness _that was in Yami's eyes that wasn't there before. In fact, his entire facial expression seemed to sharpen into a more threatening and intimidating one. Those crimson eyes… they made Yugi shiver.

This wasn't his Yami, was it?

"W-w-who a-are y-you?" Yugi whispered, shrinking back slightly. Fear tickled his spine.

Yami, or rather, this-person-who-was-decidedly-not-Yami chuckled.

"I'm Atem. Now, little one, are _you _alright?"

The traces of tearstains seemed to disappear in the confident air that he demonstrated. Yugi stared, slightly awed, before he came back to his senses. _This _was Atem. As in Yami's evil side, as in the murderer of countless people, as in the person that turned him into a vampire.

_Atem. _

Yugi wasn't sure of his emotions at that moment.

Was he scared?

Yes.

Was he relieved?

Yes…?

Why was he relieved?

Because Yami wasn't crying anymore.

Was he angry?

…yes.

He was angry.

He was angry that he couldn't do anything. He was angry for making Yami cry, for hurting him. He was angry that he had enjoyed that taste of blood on his tongue.

He was angry with himself.

The anger must have shown in his eyes, for suddenly Atem jerked him close within an inch of those crimson orbs. His own anger flared in them.

Atem growled, deep and low, and it made Yugi want to growl as well, which surprised him terribly. He held back the urge, hating himself more.

Withering underneath Atem's piercing gaze, Yugi was slightly confused. Why was Atem glaring at him so angrily, so furiously? Did he resent Yugi for biting him?

"What have I become?" Yugi whimpered, closing his eyes. Atem's own crimson eyes widened, but kept their sharpness.

"Do you hate Yami?"

Yugi's eyes shot open in pure shock and horror. Before he could say anything however, Atem raised a finger, effectively silencing him.

"If not, then why the hate in your eyes, little one?"

Silence.

Shaking head slowly. Left. Right.

"Do you hate Yami?"

Silence.

Again, a no. Left. Right.

"Who do you hate?"

Silence.

Yugi looked away and then down at his hands. His emotional rollercoaster was coming to a stop, and he felt the urge to growl low and threatening vanish.

"You can't possibly hate yourself for this. No…you do, don't you? Little one…"

And then it wasn't Atem anymore, it was Yami. Yugi could tell the moment his fingers touched his chin and brought their eyes together. They were softer now, understanding, caring, loving…

"I love you." Yugi whispered.

"I love you too, Yugi." Yami whispered, before hugging him closer. Yugi sighed, at peace.

So this is what paradise feels like.

...slow clap. Yes, yes, cheesy but delicious, if I do say so myself. Please review!


	13. Chapter 13

Hey! Long time, no see! I'm back! Please review, I hope you like this chapter. It's a different chapter, so I really want your opinion!

Chapter 13

"This world is large and dark and all alone

Still it bears the name of home

Forever I am pulled to return there

But instead through the stars I roam"

- 'Home' By SilverExorcist405

Yugi didn't understand what was going on.

At first, he registered that he was in some sort of box. He knew he was moving, or at least, the box was moving, due to the constant lurching and swaying that his weak and disoriented form was subjected to. He must be in a cart or a wagon.

Opening blinking and fully opening his eyes, he was met with darkness obstructing his view of the outside world. Straight in front of him was indeed an opening, though it was small and didn't let in much light at all. His view was blocked by bars that stood up straight in their steadfast holds. It almost felt…

Like a cage.

When that thought hit him, he began to panic. A cage? Since when had he gotten in a cage? The last thing he remembered was falling asleep in Yami's arms. Why would he be in a cage?

A list ran through his head of all the awful things that could have happened to Yami and the reasons for him being in this cage/cart, or whatever it was. He could tell he was moving, because the cart would hit a stone or a dip in the road and cause him to bang his head onto the low ceiling of his prison.

Was Yami alright?

Approaching the light streaming from the opening, Yugi wrapped his hands around the bars and peered out.

A long dusty road ran before him, away from the woods he could see behind. The day was bright and dazzling, and from what it looked like, Yugi was heading towards a tall city with huge marble walls and tall ramparts. Towers and the chimneys popped from over the white fortress whenever the cart jumped from the road. This confused him. Since when were they close to a city? What city was this anyway?

Giving the bars an experimental yank, he found the stiff iron loosen slightly from his half-hearted effort. Yugi raised an eyebrow. Apparently becoming a vampire had made him significantly stronger.

Another hard jerk was enough to splinter the door in half like he was snapping a twig. Leaping with inhuman speed, Yugi jumped from out of the cage and onto the dusty road that scrambled up to a patch of woods just beyond the city.

Behind him, Yugi heard shouting. Turning his head to see if he was being pursued, he skidded to a halt, eyes wide in pure horror.

Next to the now broken cart swarmed a group of soldiers on horseback. A particularly proud man who wore a tall helmet that concealed his face seemed to be the leader, and in his hand he held a long piece of thick rope. Amethyst following the rope, he saw to whom it was brutally tied.

Yami.

He was tied by his hands, and he was sprawled across the road, making it painfully obvious that he had been dragged. That and the fact that there was a long trail of dappled blood leading up to him. Bruises covered his body, but his head was facing away from Yugi, so he could not see his expression.

But there was no doubt.

It was Yami.

Yugi ran back, ignoring the fear that ignited whenever he caught sight of the soldiers that were already rushing at him with spears and lances brandished in front of them. Yugi pushed his legs forward, dodging the attacks as if they came in slow motion towards him. His awareness skyrocketed. He knew where everything was, where everything was going.

He felt invincible.

Slashing down at the rope that bound Yami's hands, it fell apart with ease. Scooping up his taller lover as if he weighed nothing, Yugi took a split second to glare at the man who had been dragging him.

He didn't know it, but at that time his amethyst eyes could have set fire to wet logs, they blazed with rage so fiercely. Upon seeing these eyes, Yami would not have recognized him, never before had Yugi demonstrated such hatred so openly. He looked like a _monster. _

Nobody, and he meant _no-freaking-body _hurt his Yami.

_Nobody._

If there was one thing that Yugi was absolutely sure of, it was his love for Yami. Up until now, he felt like he had only been a burden to Yami. This moment, this split second where he stared down the man on his high horse, Yugi felt he was not a burden. _He _was the one rescuing Yami. _He _was the one helping him. _He _was the one who was bearing the burden of protecting him.

Running off into the woods, away from the shouting men that frothed at the mouth in fury, Yugi felt like he could fly. His strength soared, and he flitted like a shadow in between the trees. He felt weightless, impossibly weightless, as if the very air was the only thing holding him back.

He hugged Yami closer, and looked down at him. It seemed he was unconscious, but Yugi was glad, because that meant he wasn't in any pain at the moment. Yami nuzzled his neck, and Yugi giggled as he ran. His giggle halted however when he caught sight of the awful burn marks and bruises that raggedly sawed at his wrists. His neck was bruised as well, and blood was seeping through his shirt around his stomach.

Yugi growled, but stopped in surprise. In had never growled like that before. He almost sounded like Yami, but admittedly, a lot less frightening.

Yami nuzzled his neck again, and Yugi smiled softly to himself. And then-

Yugi froze.

A prickling sensation tingled across his neck, and he felt Yami lean in…

And bite down.

_Hard._

Yugi gasped in pain. The sound of Yami slowly sucking up his blood made him dizzy, and his energy was being sapped out of him.

Soon, he could no longer stand. He collapsed onto his knees, still grasping Yami.

Yami must still be asleep, and his body was probably reflexively drinking the nearest blood source so that it could heal faster. Yugi was okay with that. As long Yami was getting better, he was fine with the discomfort.

Discomfort? More like torture! The agony was excruciating, and Yugi became more and more exhausted as the seconds inched by. The more faint he felt, the more Yami gripped tighter.

Yugi's eyes drooped. Was this what it had been like for Yami when he had taken blood from him during blood lust? Yugi hoped not. This was awful.

Yugi was reaching his limit. He needed this blood to survive, and Yami was taking too much. However, Yugi had neither the will nor the strength to push him off. He wanted Yami to live. He wanted Yami to…

Yugi closed his eyes completely, and took in the darkness.

And suddenly, it stopped.

Yami's weight was gone. Yugi felt light once more, weightless, unburdened, but it was a different sensation from that one before. Before, he had felt free.

Now, he felt lost.

A gasp echoed in his ears, and Yugi tried, o how he tried, to open his eyes. Just open them. Open them and see who could gasp with such shock and horror that it could spark his will.

Someone whispered something.

"Yugi…yugi?"

It was very soft, and faint, and so brimming with horror. Horror…

"Yugi…hey Yugi…open your eyes Yugi."

Horror. Shock. And now, desperation.

"Yugi, open your eyes, _now. _Yugi. Yugi, open your eyes. Open…"

Yugi felt heavy. No, no, he felt light. He felt…he felt like he must obey this voice. He must open his eyes, but he couldn't. He couldn't…

"YUGI OPEN YOUR EYES DAMN IT!"

But no matter how Yami yelled, for indeed it was Yami, Yugi would not answer. No matter the raw emotion splitting Yami's expression upon waking up and finding that he had been feeding off of his loved one. No matter how many tears of shame fell down his cheeks and upon his little one's pale face. No matter the memories that surfaced like ghosts in his mind.

Yugi would not open his eyes.

He cursed, low and threatening. This…this was all his fault. If only he had been stronger, if only he had been able to fight off those men. But they had taken Yugi…

_Flashback_

_Yami held Yugi, who was fast asleep, close to his chest. He was still weak from Yugi's feeding, but he didn't mind. Not in the least._

_Yugi mumbled in his sleep, and Yami smiled down at him. He needed the rest. _

_Yami looked up, to his left. The rustling of feet warned him of someone who dared approach._

_Yami looked back down at his precious one. He couldn't get him involved in a fight. He just couldn't._

_Setting him down, he turned to come face to face with a man._

_He wore a burgundy cloak and a regal helmet that concealed his features. _

_Leaping towards him, Yami restrained Atem's desire to have at him. But before he could even touch the mystery man, he heard him whisper_

_"Got him."_

_Yami's eyes widened, and he whirled around to see Yugi still fast asleep…_

…in another man's arms.

_The glint of a knife at his neck made rage explode within him. But he had no choice._

_The man in the helmet brandished a rope. Yami bowed his head._

_He was powerless. _

Yami choked on his own horror. This was all his fault.

All…all his fault.

"Yugi…open your eyes."

But nothing happened.

Nothing.

...and that's that! btw, Yugi's not dead. So breathe in...out...in...out... Please review!


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